Lucky Number Seven
by Candidus-Astrum
Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter are going into their seventh year... and they're Head Boy and Girl. With the odds against him, can James make Lily fall for him? Abandoned, please see my profile page for more info.
1. Chapter One

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Author's Note: Hey everybody! After neglecting my other fanfic for so long, I realized the reason I wasn't writing was because I didn't actually like it that much. So, I've decided to come back and take another whack at writing. I truly do hope this one's better.

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Summary: It's Lily Evans and James Potter's last year at Hogwarts, and things are different than they've ever been before. Though the odds are against James, can he find a way to finally make Lily love him? Or are they just not meant to be?

-Chapter One-

_Mr. Potter, detention, tonight, my office!_

Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter!

Mr. Potter, do you understand how seriously you could have hurt Mr. Snape?!

I said no talking!

This was horrible.

Six years of constant trouble making, spending every other night in detention, and putting numerous enemies in the hospital wing, and how was he rewarded?

A Head Boy Badge.

This had to be a joke. Whoever was pulling it was good, too. They must have somehow made the letter look exactly like a Hogwarts one, made a fake Head Boy badge, and forged Dumbledore's signature. It wouldn't be that hard.

Sirius could do it. Maybe. Okay, not really.

Maybe Snape had done it, for revenge.

Yeah, that was it.

Who was he kidding?

This wasn't a joke.

But _how _ could it be real? Either he had done something really good without knowing it, or Dumbledore was going senile. Remus deserved this more than he did, he'd been a Prefect after all.

And it just wasn't right that the school's biggest prankster was being given top honors. Not to mention unlikely, impossible, ridiculous, and so on. 

__

Kill me now, he thought to himself, _Sirius'll never let me live it down. It's disgraceful._

No matter how much he didn't believe it, the fact was, James was still Head Boy.

~*~ 

Lily sat on the end of her bed, rereading her letter for the tenth time that day.

Dear Ms. Lily Evans,

We at Hogwarts are pleased to tell you that you've been chosen for the position of Head Girl this year. As you know, it is a great honor, and we're sure you'll rise to the task magnificently.

Please arrive at Platform 9 ¾ one half-hour early on September 1st, as it is important for you to become reacquainted with the Head Boy. We will also need to inform the new prefects of their duties on the Hogwarts Express, so please prepare yourself for that.

If any changes occur, we will be sure to notify you immediately. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts

Lily could hardly believe her good fortune. Of course, it wasn't like she didn't deserve it. All those years of hard work and maintaining her perfect record had finally paid off. She'd been hoping to get this since her first day at Hogwarts.

The question that had been lurking in the back of her mind all day caught her attention again. _Who was Head Boy?_ She hoped it was someone in her own house, but the only one really that deserved the honor was Remus Lupin…that is, except for all his disappearances.

__

Poor thing, She thought, _How awful to have your family members get sick so often._

Why hadn't Dumbledore told her who it was? Was he trying to make it some huge surprise? The only thing that would surprise her was if Black or Potter was given it. She laughed.

Never in a _million years_ would that happen. Dumbledore would have to be crazy.

__

Wait a second…what if it is…and that's why he didn't tell me…

Lily shook her head. There was no way. It had to be Remus.

Before going to sleep, she took a red marker and crossed off August 25th on her calendar.

There was no sense worrying. She'd know soon enough.

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Author's Note: Well, there it is! Hope you liked it, and if you did, please tell me in a review. I hope you don't hate my pitiful attempts to be humorous. :) So, press the review button, and show me _your_ writing skills!


	2. Chapter Two

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Author's Note: Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the greatest. I think five reviews for one chapter is a new record for me. I know it's taken forever for me to update…and I'm sorry, if anyone cares! I've been busy (bad excuse). But I'm a horrible perfectionist about this story, and I'm constantly trying to tweak it to its best.

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Lilyflower: Wow! My first reviewer! I'm glad I made James realistically! Thanks!

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Shrk-Bait: Oh good, I'm glad my humor wasn't pitiful…your name reminds me of Finding Nemo! Thanks!

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just me: Yes, I agree this is the best part of the story, which is why I wrote about it!!!

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Tanya J Potter: Glad you liked it, and thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Wow I love your name! So cool! Thanks and here's more!

-Chapter Two-

"Mum, I'm going to be late, the letter said to be there half an hour early!" Lily said, getting out of the car.

"Oh Lily, stop worrying so much," Her mother said, pulling Lily's trunks out of the car. Lily quickly took a glance around her, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of whoever the Head Boy was. "Now, dear, you have a wonderful time this year. Write us if you've forgotten anything," Her mother said, hugging her.

"We'll see you before you know it," Her father said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "And, Lily, do try to focus a little less on your schoolwork. Have some fun."

"Dad, I can't focus less on school, this is N.E.W.T. year and if I don't do well on them, I'm probably never going to get a decent job, and –"

"Lily, dear, you just have fun. Now go, you're going to be late."

She headed off towards the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, an odd clenched feeling in her stomach.

_This is the last trip to Hogwarts for me,_ She thought sadly.

Upon entering the Prefects carriage, Lily was surprised to see that she was the only one they're, considering that she should have been there five minutes ago.

~*~

James made a half-hearted attempt to hide his badge. He'd already tried it at least thirty times before now, and it obviously wasn't going to work. 

_What's happening to me?_ He thought, _Normally I'd be bragging about this to the whole world._

Then he remembered something.

_"I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it."_

"…I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate."

"…you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter."

All of sudden, a jolt of panic swept through him. It was 10:45, which meant that he was 15 minutes late.

~*~

This was the limit. Whoever was Head Boy, Lily was convinced that they must be the most irresponsible person ever. Fifteen minutes late. She sighed exasperatedly.

__

Well, this is ridiculous, She thought to herself, _If they're not coming, I'm certainly not waiting for them._

She stood up and made her way over to the door, reaching for the handle. Before she even touched it, the door opened.

"About ti—" She began, but stopped short when she saw who it was.

"No," She said in disbelief.

"No what?" He asked.

"Not you. Anybody but you."

"Who were you expecting?" He asked, walking past her and throwing himself on the seat.

Lily frowned to herself. This wasn't the James she used to know. This had to be some sort of joke he and Sirius were playing on her. She turned around.

"Listen, Potter, if this is some sort of joke, it's not funn –" But at that moment, her eyes fell on the badge pinned to his robes, with Head Boy clearly written across the front.

"Nope, no joke. Although that's what I thought at first too," He replied, "So, anyways, what's this whole thing we're supposed to do with the Prefects?"

She couldn't believe this. How could he have been chosen? All of a sudden, Lily felt quite a lot less honored by this. If Potter could be Head Boy, it seemed anyone could.

"Er…well…what were you saying?" She asked, completely losing her train of thought.

"What are we supposed to tell the Prefects?" James repeated calmly. Lily, still in shock, sat down on the seat across from him.

"The Prefects?" She asked dazedly, not thinking properly. There was a long pause in which James stared at her half-quizzically, half-concernedly.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

"No. I mean, yes. Sort of."

"Okay. Now that we have that cleared up…"

"Never mind," Lily said, finally coming to her senses, "Didn't Remus ever tell you anything about being a Prefect?"

"Hmmm…not that I can think of right now. Maybe just in passing, but he never really went into it."

"Oh, right, you spent the whole time making fun of him for it," Lily snapped.

"Well excuse me for having a sense of humor," He shot back sarcastically.

They both sighed.

"You reckon we should come to a truce, for the rest of the school's sake?" James asked. 

"Wow, you're actually showing signs of acting your age, I never expected--"

"All right, fine, if you want to keep jumping down each other's throats, fine by--"

"Okay, okay," Lily said, "Truce."

They shook on it, and just in time, because at that moment, a few of the Prefects entered the compartment. They all shot bewildered looks at James when they caught sight of him. He began to get very annoyed by this, which amused Lily quite a bit. They were all obviously astonished that a git like him could be Head Boy.

Surprisingly enough, James didn't sit back and watch Lily do all the work, he pitched in. True, what he did do wasn't all that impressive, but, after all, he'd never done this before. After they all had left, Lily and James left the compartment as well, walking down the corridor.

"Oh, what a fun year this is going to be," He said with a sardonic tone, "Did you hear those little brats? Dumbledore _must_ be losing his mind to pick them, I swear…"

"You know, they strangely remind of someone…" Lily mused sarcastically.

"Very funny," James replied, "But you do have a point."

"Finally come out of denial, have you?"

"Finally found your sense of humor, have you?"

It was at this point that a large explosion could be heard from one of the compartments, followed by several yells.

"Well, I guess this is where I have to stop," He said reluctantly, "Hopefully they haven't killed each other…or themselves."

"No, they're not that stupid…unfortunately," Lily joked.

"She finds the humorous side to her, and it's all at my expense," James said. He opened the compartment door and was immediately engulfed in billowing purple smoke.

Lily turned and started walking further down the corridor, and the yells from the cloud of smoke ("What in the ruddy hell have you done?" "IT was an accident, but look, no one's hurt--well, Peter's eyebrows were singed off, but otherwise no harm done!") diminished eventually.

What had happened to James Potter? He was so different from all the previous years. Something had changed him, and Lily was interested in finding just how much it had changed him…very interested.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note:** AGH! Please, hold back your weapons, I swear, I didn't mean to take this long to update. My internet is being such a…well…you know. Anyways, it's here now!! Make sure you read the A/N at the end, it has a few explanation about some stuff in the chapter you may not get at first. But maybe you guys are just so smart that you'll get everything!! Okay, well, read on!

HELLOOOO! Look here please!!! **_I am skipping the Sorting and the Welcome Feast_** (whatever you call that thing—oh well, they eat, that's all I know). I took a few stabs at writing but couldn't come up with one decent thing. (Who really cares anyway? Lily and James are already sorted, so is everyone else important in the story.) 

The next day was an interesting one. Lily and James were both asked to help hand out schedules, and unfortunately most of them belonged to Slytherin students. As Lily walked up the table, she received quite a few sneers from them.

The worst of it was that more than a few called her a Mudblood under their breath. She'd grown used to it by now, but it still inflicted a twinge of pain every time it was directed at her. However, it was heartening (for some unexplainable reason) to see James' face grow red with fury when he happened to hear them.

When she received her own schedule, it was disappointing to see that she had Potions first thing that morning. _Why did I even bother doing well on my Potions O.W.L.? _She thought miserably, slinging her book bag over her shoulder.

"Where're you headed off to?" Anna asked as they walked through the corridors.

"How does N.E.W.T. level Potions sound to you on the first day of the year?" Lily asked.

"It sounds like something that I'm definitely not going to be doing," Anna replied, "I still don't understand how you managed to get an 'Outstanding' in Potions."

"Luck," Lily said simply.

"I call it being really, really smart," Anna said, "Have fun in Potions." She left Lily, turning left into a separate corridor and heading for Arithmancy.

When she entered the ominous-looking Potions class, most of those already in there were Slytherins, as could only be expected. In fact, she didn't see anyone she knew anywhere in the class. Finally, she sat down in a seat as far back as she could find.

Then, a miracle happened—or, at least as much as Lily could say having James walk into the class was a miracle. She could barely contain her laughter when she saw the Slytherins' malevolent faces fill with dislike and fear when they saw him. He saw Lily, and, with one last glance around the room, came and sat down next to her.

"Well, this looks like it's going to be loads of fun," James said darkly, leering at the Slytherins, who had started whispering among themselves.

"How did _you_ get into this class?" Lily asked him.

"It's all up here," He replied, tapping his head, "You doubt me too much. I'm so offended I just might have to go sit with the Slytherins."

"I have a hard time believing you'd do that," Lily said.

"Come to think of it, I have a hard time believing it myself."

"Well, you must be smarter than I thought, then. Anyways, at least you didn't get in here on favoritism," She said, casting a disgusted glance across the room.

"Yeah it's a—" James began, but Professor Liechter had just entered the room, so he stopped mid-sentence. 

"Bellatrix Black," The Professor said briskly, looking around the class. His eyes fell upon a dark-haired, heavy-lidded girl sitting at the front of the room. Lily thought she looked rather familiar, and was surprised to see James glaring with great dislike at the girl. He continued to look at her like that for a long time.

"Lily Evans," He called with a contemptuous sneer on his face. He looked straight at her, his cold, hard eyes staring right into her, and then moved on. He continued reading through the sheet.

"Rodolphus Lestrange."

The black-haired girl from before smiled in a slightly deranged way at the boy next to her. He read further down the list.

"Ah—James Potter is here?" He asked with a rather evil tone. He finally saw James, and stared at him with a great deal of hatred, and (rather bravely, in Lily's opinion) James stared right back at him. He eventually moved on and finished calling all the rest of the names.

"Today we will be reviewing the basic principles which are needed to make various potions. I am not going to give you any directions but which potions you will be asked to make, and you will have to do the rest yourself." Professor Liechter said in a sinister voice, "This assignment is not to be taken lightly—anyone who does not make their potion exactly as I have taught you in previous years will suffer the unfortunate consequence of receiving a 'D'. You may begin."

By the end of the class, Lily had finished the assignment, and had done pretty well on it, or at least she thought she had. Nobody in the whole class had finished faster than James, who had leaned back in his chair in a lazy, arrogant way. Finally, the bell rang and everyone in the class left.

As she walked towards the door, she ran right into the dark-haired girl from before. For a moment, they looked right into each other's eyes. Lily could see a maniacal glint in them, like she was slightly insane.

"Watch where you're going," She snapped viciously, before striding out of the classroom. Lily watched her go, feeling strangely unnerved.

"Are you okay?" James asked, coming up behind her.

"I can handle myself fine, Potter," She told him, walking towards the door. He followed her.

"You might think so," He said, "But you don't know Bellatrix."

"And you do, I'm sure," Lily snapped at him.

"You don't have to listen to me," James said, "But just…well, be careful around her. She's not exactly the type you'd bring to dinner."

He turned the corner and left her, but his warnings stayed with her. The part that shocked her the most was that he had said, _"You don't have to listen to me."_ James normally would have made her believe him, would have been convinced that he was right and that Lily needed to follow his advice.

Smiling in spite of herself, Lily couldn't help remembering… _"Are you okay?"_  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, how was the smarty-pants Potions class?" Sirius asked as they sat down for lunch.

"Filled with Slytherins," James said,

"That would actually be more fun than it sounds. After all, you could always dump something toxic on them and make it look like an accident…"

"Not with Evans in there," James remarked, pulling the pitcher of pumpkin juice towards him.

"Oh. Well then, it is as bad as it sounds."

"And your dear old cousin Bellatrix joined us," James said, causing Sirius' face to cloud over.

"On second thought, it's even worse than it sounds."

"Seen the Prophet this morning?" Remus said. He and Peter had just joined them.

"No, what's up?" James asked.

"Two other people disappeared last week," He said, throwing the newspaper down on the table and sitting next to Sirius.

"Who?" Sirius asked, unfolding the paper and scanning the headline.

"One of them was a Muggle; they won't say who. The other one was Jack Longbottom," Remus replied.

"Isn't that Frank's dad?" Peter asked in hushed voice. Sirius nodded, and James looked down the table. Alice, Frank's girlfriend, was normally always sitting with Frank. Today she wasn't, and she looked very upset. James wondered how he hadn't noticed that Frank was gone.

"Anyways, full moon is next week…" Sirius said. James stopped paying attention to what he was saying. There was a clenched feeling in his stomach; looking down at Alice. He couldn't help feeling horrible about Frank's dad. In fact, he was almost wishing that Remus hadn't told him at all.

  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lily sat in the Common Room that night, trying to make a start on her Potions homework. It wasn't due for a week, but she desperately needed to put her mind somewhere else. The only problem was, there was something clouding all of her thought & bothering her more and more with every passing moment.

She had heard about what had happened to Frank Longbottom's dad after lunch. Thought she had never been the best of friends with Alice or Frank, it made her feel horrible inside. As soon as she could, she had gone to find Alice and tell her how sorry she was. After talking to her, it had only made everything worse.

"They aren't sounding very optimistic at the Ministry," Alice had said, looking ghostly white, yet her voice sounded strong, "But Frank says that he knows his dad is still alive."

"Have you talked to him lately?" Lily asked her, and when Alice had spoken next, her voice was shaking, and so was she.

"The last I heard from him was four days ago," She said, and had apparently reached her breaking point. She cried for a good ten minutes. Lily sat there with her, trying to make her feel better. Finally, Lily suggested she go write a letter to Frank. Still sniffing, Alice had gone up to the dormitory.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to concentrate, and she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Giving up, she closed her book and rolled her parchment back up, placing both of them on the ground at the foot of the chair.

"Giving up already? That's not like you, Lil," Anna said, smirking.

"It's not due for ages, Anna," Lily replied, "And besides, I can't concentrate."

"I remember when you once said, 'Anna, the O.W.L.s are only three months away, that goes by way faster than you think!' I'm glad you've gotten a hold of a good sense of time now," She said, "And what's bothering you so much anyways?"

"Nothing." Lily cast a sidelong glance out the window.

"Oh please, that's the worst job of lying you've ever done. And I've seen some bad ones, too."

Lily sighed. "It's Alice. She's really upset."

"Oh. Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Well, she seemed okay at first, but she finished the conversation in tears, so…"

"Yikes."

"No kidding."

Both of them didn't speak for a few minutes. Anna's hand was flying along the page, and soon enough she was finished with her homework.

"Oh no…" Lily said.

"What?" Anna said, looking up.

"It's Alice."

"Oh good, then she must be feeling better, right?"

"If she is, then she won't be for long. She's talking to James."

And it was true, he had stopped Alice at the foot of the stairs and was speaking to her. As much as Lily thought he was probably being completely insensitive, he looked very sincere…not to mention apologetic.

"Put a little faith in people for once," Anna said, gathering all her books together.

"Excuse me? I do put faith in people—or, at least those people that deserve it," Lily said indignantly.

"What did he ever do to be so undeserving?"

"I'm not starting this conversation again," Lily said, crossing her arms.

"Lily."

Anna stopped everything she was doing, and looked straight at Lily.

"Do you want to know what I think?" She asked.

"Not really, because whatever you say is going to right, and it's probably going to make me lose sleep."

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway."

Lily braced herself. Whatever Anna said was always so obviously right that she didn't really want to hear her opinion on this.

"Though I feel terribly, terribly sorry for Frank and Alice, I don't think your lack of concentration is because of that issue. Did you ever even think that somewhere deep inside you, a little piece of you is jealous of her? I mean, she has somebody who's in love with her, and vice versa. I'm not saying that you need a boyfriend or that your life is ruined without one, but it's hard to look at someone like her and not feel a little bit envious from time to time."

"Anna, that has nothing to do with it," Lily said sternly.

"No, YOU don't think that has anything to do with it—Lily, all I'm saying is that you don't have to be jealous. You can have that yourself. And, in my opinion, you're passing up a great opportunity."

"I'd hardly call it great."

"All right, I never could get through to you anyways. Just try not to be so stubborn all the time. Some things are better when you go against your best judgment."

She picked up all her things.

"Oh, and by the way, did you notice that you used his first name for the first time?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak a few times, but before she'd even realized it, Anna was going up the steps to the dormitory. 

Okay, so she was a little bit stubborn sometimes—but that didn't mean that she was wrong. And maybe Anna's advice wasn't all it was cracked up to be. After all, she'd been wrong about a lot of things before. 

"Lily."

She turned around in her chair and saw Alice standing there, smiling faintly.

"Are you feeling better?" Lily asked her.

"Loads. The letter really helped."

"I'm glad."

"Listen, I'm about to pop up to the Owlery to send this off, and I just wanted to thank you before I go. You've been really helpful, and you didn't even need to." 

"You're welcome," Lily said.

"Everybody's been so supportive, it's really great."

"Speaking of that, what did Ja-I mean, Potter say to you?"

"He was just being nice, that's all. He just said that he was sorry and to send my apologies to Frank as soon as I spoke to him next," Alice said, "Well, I've got to go, but thanks again, Lily."

"Yeah…no problem…"

Lily sat there, trying to think what reason in the world he would have for being nice. 

_"What did he do to be so undeserving?"_

Anna's voice kept interrupting her thoughts. The worst thing was, everything she had said seemed so sensible, so rational—but Lily still wouldn't believe her.

Finally, Lily decided to go to bed. As her head lay back on her pillow, the only thing running through her mind was still Anna's words.

_Great,_ Lily thought, _Now I'm not even in control of my own brain._

And, feeling more confused than she had all day, she eventually drifted off to sleep.

  
**Author's Note:** Haha! I told you there'd be one at the end! Just to clarify two things:

1) There's still going to be a while before our lovely couple gets together. Yes, Lily is beginning to face some facts…but not her own feelings

2) This "Jack Longbottom" I'm talking about would be Neville's granddad married to his batty old grandmum. (He must have been insane…)

Thanks a ton for reading, and it would be so great if you reviewed…after all, it fuels the fire that is this fanfic. So, be a sweetheart, take a few minutes of your time, and tell me how much you liked (hopefully you didn't hate it) my story.

Until next time!!!


	4. Chapter Four

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Author's Note: Ha! Actually a quick update for once! Well, this chapter isn't all that interesting---sort of a transitory thingie, but it has an interesting ending and one important factoid in there. In Hermione's words: There's some important stuff hidden in the waffle. Anywho…on with it…

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Tanya J Potter: Yay! A new reader! I hope you like this chapter if you get around to reading it, and thanks!

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Luthien RhiannonCat5: Another new reader! I will most certainly keep up the good work, as well as definitely going to read your story. You read mine, it's the least I can do! Thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: Yes, poor him. But, well, she _had _to marry _someone,_ or I have a feeling there would be no Neville! Here I am, writing again, hope you like it! Thanks!

Goodness, I suppose I should tell you all that I don't own Harry Potter, etc., etc. Hello! Hopefully I won't have to say this again!

Chapter Four

A week into the school year, James found himself facing more schoolwork than he'd ever had in seven years. Every class was loading on the homework like there was no tomorrow, and most of the seventh years (himself included) were struggling to keep up.

Not only that, James couldn't help feeling a constantly knot in his stomach. The first reason had been the disappearance of Frank's dad, and now the second reason was completely his own fault. 

As Sirius had said, full moon had been coming up--in fact, it had been last night. Going against his gut feeling, James and the rest had snuck out to roam around the grounds as they always had.

James had had fun, of course, but he couldn't help feeling horrible. There he was, betraying Dumbledore's trust, after Dumbledore had trusted him enough to make him Head Boy. Not to mention the fact that Snape already knew about Remus being a werewolf, and he was probably already constantly looking out for any rule breaking they might be doing.

And, to make things worse, there had been more disappearances. This time it had been four people at once-- and none of them were Muggles. In fact, they were all people James had heard of. Some he had actually spoken to before.

Everyone had pretty much stopped holding out hope that these missing people would be found. When another person disappeared, it was treated as though they had died. Even Frank had given up looking for his dad, though reluctantly, and his family was holding a funeral.

The curious thing about all of the disappearances was something no one else had said anything about--though none of the victims were Muggles, almost all of them were Muggle-born wizards. James of course, hadn't said anything, but it was always in the back of his mind.

With everything that had been building up, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had been unusually quiet. James had no desire to go playing pranks on people. Oddly enough, neither had any of his friends, and so the castle was mayhem-free.

Of course, he could never stop thinking about Lily. Every time she walked by him, his heart felt like it skipped a beat, and the rare times that he talked to her, he actually was able to stop acting like a conceited jerk and more like a human being.

That night, James was in the library trying to get some work finished. Being in the library was a rare occurrence in itself for James, but to be studying at the same time was some sort of a revelation. The reason he had actually come in here was to study, but part of him couldn't help hoping he'd see a red-haired someone hanging around as well.

"Hi James." Anna had just come in and sat down across from him.

"Oh…hey," James had replied. He hadn't talked to her at all this year, but in previous times they had gotten along rather well.

"I'm blown out of my socks to see you working this late. In the library, no less," She said, "Hoping to meet somebody along the way?"

"Er…no, I'm just finishing up my Transfiguration essay."

"Has anyone told you you're a horrible liar?"

"Your dear friend Lily has about thirty times."

"Ah. Yes, that could be expected from her."

She opened her books and got started on her own work, and looked up a couple minutes later.

"You said her first name," She said, looking somewhat triumphant. 

"Oh…yeah…well, I always do. I only save the last name bit for when I'm around her," James said, feeling embarrassed.

"Hm."

Once again, she returned to her work, writing for a good ten minutes before she stopped again.

"I noticed that Hogwarts has been without any catastrophes lately. Any certain reason for it?"

"Nah…well, I suppose it's not exactly the best time to do anything like that. I mean, if somebody's family member has just gone missing, it's not exactly going to make them feel better if we set a fire going or anything like that."

Anna gave him a long, analyzing look. He hated when she did this, it always meant that she was about to say something very smart.

"Interesting," She said. James was shocked to realize that she wasn't going to give him a life lesson. In fact, he would have welcomed a life lesson at the moment, because it would probably be something having to do with Lily.

"And, you know, I can't exactly go around doing stupid stuff like that when I'm Head Boy, right?"

"It's stupid stuff now?"

"Well, looking back, I guess some of it was."

"Hm."

James couldn't figure out what in the world she was thinking. He waited for her to look up, but she just kept on writing on her parchment, paying no attention to him at all.

"All right, no more of your little confusing 'Hm's. Just tell me what you're thinking, it'll make everything a whole lot easier!" He said finally. Anna looked up and put down her quill.

"You've changed is all," She said simply.

"I--what do you mean--I couldn't have…" James trailed off. Changed? What did she mean? Yeah, he was a year older, but nothing much else was different about him.

"Well, the old you wouldn't have cared about hurting peoples' feelings. And he also wouldn't have realized that he had responsibility now that he was Head Boy, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. In fact, he probably would have used it as an excuse to cause even more trouble and not get punished. Not to mention that you never, ever would have said Lily's first name around me or anyone else. And, of course, you never would have found him studying at eight-thirty at night in the library."

James sat there for a minute, dumbstruck. Could he really be that different?

"I--that's not…well…" He stuttered, trying to think of something to say.

"James, have you ever thought that changing might have been a good thing?" Anna asked, "Maybe in turn it'll change someone else's opinion of you."

She wrote a few more sentences and then gathered her things up.

"Well, I'm done. I'm going to head out of here, but good luck with your stuff," She said, and with an encouraging smile, left the library.

James sat for a minute, trying to piece together what she'd said. 

What did she mean by changing someone else's mind…she couldn't have meant…Lily? 

No, that's impossible. It'd be too good to be true. 

And good luck with what stuff?? My homework? Or did she mean good luck with Lily…

He shook himself from his thoughts and shut his Transfiguration book, picked up his quill, and walked up to Gryffindor Tower. On the way, he decided to try and think less about Lily--which was probably impossible for him, but he resolved to try it anyway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lily stared out one of the Owlery windows at the grounds below, closing her eyes and letting the cool air wash over her face. Standing there, a feeling of contentment and safety came over her, a refreshing change from the tension she'd been feeling for the past while.

Ever since people had started disappearing, she'd started to get a little nervous--after all, many of the people who were vanishing were either Muggles or Muggle-born wizards, like herself. No one else had noticed (or at least they hadn't mentioned) this trend, and so she had no reason to believe it was anything but coincidental.

Hogwarts had been quiet this past week--quieter, in fact, than it had ever been before. Though Lily would never admit it, she found herself missing the mayhem that James and Sirius had inflicted before.

After one last look out the window, she left the Owlery, walking through the halls back to Gryffindor Tower, not thinking about anything in particular. She stopped to chat for a few minutes with Sir Cadogan, though all he did was threaten her, so it wasn't so much of conversation.

She approached the portrait hall in a dazed sort of state, but hushed voices coming from around the corner caught her attention.

"Albus, do you really think it wise to tell them all--now? After all, who are we to spoil their good mood?"

"Minerva, you know as well as I do that most of the students in there are not in a good mood--in fact, I wouldn't doubt that all of them are sitting under a pile of homework."

"I know, but Albus, it's going to be in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow, what does it matter if we tell them or not?"

"It is better this way. They're not children anymore."

Lily listened to this, wondering what was making Professor McGonagall so frantic at this time of night. Little did she know that she was not the only one listening to this conversation…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

James had been about to round the corner but had stopped dead when he heard two people speaking. From what he had heard so far, he hadn't been able to figure out a word of it. 

"Why couldn't we have told Ms. Evans and Mr. Potter to do this? You know how I hate to be the bearer of bad news."

"Minerva, I'm telling you, we must let them know now, before it's too late."

"What do you mean, 'too late'?"

"I mean we need to tell them the facts before they hear a misconstrued story from their friends."

"Well---what do I say to them?"

"Exactly what has happened. Tell them simply that a very powerful wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort has come forward into the public. Also make it clear that this is not a light subject, and that Lord Voldemort is capable of terrible things. If they have any questions, answer them as truthfully as you possibly can."

"Oh, Albus, I don't think I can--"

"I must go send an owl, Minerva. Good luck."

James watched as Professor Dumbledore walked down a corridor opposite of him, and waited until he heard Professor McGonagall say the password before looking cautiously down the hallway. He jumped as he heard footsteps from behind him, thinking Dumbledore might have decided to come back, but saw he was wrong.

Lily was standing down the hall further, and by the look on her face, she'd heard every word of what they had said too.

"Er…I suppose you were there long enough to catch that interesting information?" James asked. She went red.

"No--I…it was by accident, I really didn't mean to listen in, I just--" She sputtered.

"Yeah, well, don't worry about it, you're not the only one who 'really didn't mean to listen in'," James replied. Lily nodded.

"So…since we both heard it, did you understand any of it?" She asked, looking at her feet. James sighed.

"Not really. It was sort of vague. I guess we'd know if we were in there right now," James said, jerking his head towards the portrait, "But it sounds like something bad is about to happen."

"Yeah…you--you don't think it has anything to do with all those people disappearing, do you?"

"Well…it's certainly odd---all of those people were Muggle-born or Muggles, except for Frank's dad," James mumbled, shrugging. Lily looked up from the floor.

"You noticed that too? I thought I was the only one who'd even given thought to it, that's so--"Lily stopped, looking embarrassed again.

"Well, anyway, you reckon we should go in there?" James asked, after a few moments.

"Together? At the same time?" Lily asked, looking scandalized.

"Well, yes…unless you were planning on going somewhere else…"

"No--people will think we---they'll think that we're--"Lily said, struggling for words.

"Friends?" James finished for her.

"Oh, no, it's not that at all," Lily said.

"Don't worry, I get it. I guess I'll never be good enough to ever be seen with someone like _you_," James muttered.

"Really, I don't mind talking to you or anything, it's fine, I just don't want people to think--"

"Forget it. I'm going inside," James said, and he turned, walking towards the portrait hole until someone from behind spoke

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Evans--would you be so kind to accompany me to my office?"

James turned, and, a feeling of dread inside his stomach, came face to face with Professor Dumbledore.


	5. Chapter Five

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Author's Note: Wow! This is the most reviews I've _ever, ever_ gotten on one chapter! You guys are so nice, I was practically smiling my socks off when I read all of your little messages to me!!! And, yes, I know, it's taken me an age-and-a-half to update. But I've been busy--really. I was all in a writing mood and then my birthday came last Saturday and then the next day we went to Disneyland and then the day after that we went to California Adventure. And when I finally got back, all my creativity was gone, plus I didn't like the way the chapter was going, so I erased quite a bit of it. And then, right as I was getting back into it, my friend invited me to Knott's Berry Farm, and so I got back from there, then I went back to school and had a ton of geometry & geography to catch up on Ugh. So, after a long time, endless tweaking, and at least two re-writings, here is (the short) chapter five.

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mione-xavier: Here's more! Thanks!

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stargazer: I'm glad you like it. Thanks a lot for the comment on the whole dialogue thingie--you're not the only who said it, so I know what I need to work on! Thanks!

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Sugar Thief: I think that James is having a bit of both of those things affect him…plus…well…there are other situations in the story…coming up eventually…can't tell you now…things that don't have to do with Lily…but they're not good things…Thanks!

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Susan D: Are you here? Back for the next chapter like you said? LoL, thank you for reading & reviewing!

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Daintress: Wow! Long review! I understand what you mean, and I'm going to try and fix it---I didn't even realize I was doing that! In fact, sometimes I feel like I'm being boring if I put too much description in there! Now I can breathe easy…and write better! Thanks, and I will go check out your fics!

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vietgurl10607: I'm glad it sounds Lily and James-ish! If it didn't I think I'd be in trouble, wouldn't I? Glad you like the plot, and here's more! Thanks!

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Lexy: You love it? Wow! Thank you! Hmmm…well, I know that James is going to start dating Lily sometime in their seventh year…but otherwise I can't say! You'll just have to keep reading! Thanks! (Just kidding, I've decided it'll be around Chapter Ten--but I'm not promising anything.)

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Punktroll502: Thank you so much!

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shadowICED: Well, I'm actually overjoyed at the amount of reviews I've generated on this story--waaaay more than my other fic. But, also, when I read other fics, they have like 200-something reviews, and it upsets me sometimes. Oh well. And…gee…what else can I say? You're the nicest EVER, and I'm glad you like the story so much!! (And if you still feel compelled to recommend me to your friends, then go RIGHT AHEAD…) Thanks tons and hope you like this chapter!

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WalkingCensure: Well, I'm so glad you came across it too, or else I wouldn't have gotten such gushing compliments! And you like the dialogues! Yaay! Thank you so much!

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Lady of Masbolle: Oh yes, it seems to me that Dumbledore knows practically everything. Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: I suppose she is being rather silly and mean. Maybe I should put my explanation for that in this chapter…hmm….anyways, I'm going to try not to do that so much anymore.

-Chapter Five-

James and Lily walked behind Professor Dumbledore through the halls and up to his office. On the way, Lily shot at least a dozen looks at James, looks that very clearly said, "Look at what you've done now."

Lily didn't understand what was going on--they couldn't be in trouble, they hadn't done anything wrong. He could have heard them fighting…or whatever it was they'd been doing, but it seemed like a bit of an overreaction to bring them up to his office just to scold them for that.

After shooting an accusing glare at James for the umpteenth time, they stopped short in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. Vaguely, Lily wondered what it looked like inside. She'd never been in there before, which was surprising, and was very nervous to see what it held. 

As they walked up the spiral staircase, Lily really started to worry. What if they were in trouble? She racked her brains, wondering if there was anything in the past while she'd done.

They entered his office, and every bit of fear and anxiety inside of her disappeared. This room was…well, beautiful, there was no other word for it. A fire burned in the fireplace, casting an orange glow on everything--and there was a whole lot of everything. From every shelf, table, and bookcase, tiny instruments glittered. Some were gold, some were silver, some different colors, and some were constantly changing their hue. A large bird, that Lily thought looked like a pheonix sat on a perch by Dumbledore's desk, and around the walls hung countless portraits of old men and women, most of whom were sleeping. Lily guessed these people must be previous Headmasters.

"Please, sit down," Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing to two chairs that were placed in front of his desk. Quite apprehensively, Lily sat down, still looking all around her. James was quite the opposite; he slumped down in the chair as if he owned the office.

It took Dumbledore a good minute or so before he finished straightening the papers on his desk and looked up.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it's nice to see you here again, and Ms. Evans, welcome," He began. Lily didn't feel all that welcome, and with a sideways glance at James, saw that he probably didn't think it was so nice to be here again either. "I assure the both of you, I have no intention of punishing you or anything of that sort," He said, seeing their looks of discomfort.

Lily felt relieved immediately to hear this, and could tell that James had sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"There are two things I have brought you here to talk about tonight," He said, looking at them gravely, pausing for a moment. "I gather that you both heard mine and Professor McGonagall's conversation outside of Gryffindor Tower. And so, I only need to explain a few things to you about this Lord Voldemort."

He paused again, surveying them both over his glasses.

"He was the one who caused the disappearances in the last while. I'm sorry to report that he also killed those that he kidnapped, which everyone has assumed already. And I feel the need to impress upon you that those will not be his last victims either. From what I heard, you both realized that those he took were Muggles or Muggle-born, with the one exception of Jack Longbottom. I would like to commend you on observing this, because even most Ministry officials paid it no attention. I would just simply like to warn you that dark times are ahead--and you may be called on to help more than normal. As Head Boy and Girl, you are role models for the rest of the school."

He stopped, looking at James with a twinkle in his eye.

"And, if I do say so myself, you're doing an excellent job at it. I only ask you now to be optimistic, strong, and considerate--something I know you both can do."

Dumbledore smiled at them for a moment, and then clapped his hands together.

"On a less depressing note, I was pleased to see you two speaking civilly to each other for once. Most of the Professors thought I was going senile for placing you two together like this, and for a while I believed them, but I must say you've changed my mind."

Lily frowned. She didn't understand--he thought they'd been having a nice, friendly conversation, when in fact they were having something of an argument. How could he have misunderstood that?

"Professor, I don't understand…we were arguing when you came to get us. I didn't think that counted as 'speaking civilly' to each other," She said, and, even more surprisingly, Dumbledore nodded.

"Ah, yes, but don't you see--arguments, disagreements, fights--they are in the end what brings people together. After all, this war we're about to wage against Lord Voldemort will be horrendous and tragic, no doubt, but it will only make those who fight against him stronger in the end."

Lily was even more confused than before. Not only that, but the thought of her and James being…_brought together_ was disturbing. Dumbledore must have noticed her confusion (and embarrassment), because he shrugged and spoke again.

"Well, I suppose you'll see what I mean soon enough. Now, I think that's all, so you're welcome to go about your business now," He said, standing up. Lily stood as well, as did James, and they both began to leave.

"Professor Dumbledore?" James said as he had almost reached the door, "D'you know…I mean, why did…how come Frank's dad got taken and he was the only one who wasn't Muggle-born?"

Once again, Dumbledore looked at James for a long time before speaking. When he finally did, his tone was much different than it had been before.

"There are only so many theories, James--no one knows exactly why, but the most likely is that Lord Voldemort wished to scare us, wished to make us realize that he could take powerful, important people away from us at any moment," He said, looking very grave indeed. 

Lily felt a twinge of fear realizing that Dumbledore himself was one of those powerful, important people--and he too could be taken away.

On the way back to Gryffindor tower, neither James nor Lily spoke to each other. Lily was too busy trying to figure something out in her head, because she felt guilty--and, surprisingly, James was the one who had inspired that guilt. 

Being this stand-offish towards him had never been a problem before, when he was doing the same thing to her. When he'd been acting like a prat, he'd deserved every word of it. Now…as much as she tried to deny it, he hadn't done anything so far for her to act like this. However, she couldn't bring herself to stop being like that. Six years of being annoyed to death couldn't just disappear for her, couldn't just leave her memory.

But it seemed like six years could disappear for some people.

Somewhere deep down inside of her, where thoughts she never voiced and feelings she never acted upon formulated, a part of her was missing the way he used to regard her. Before, he'd taken every opportunity to make his feelings public and known to all. Now, though she could every once in a while that he was still in awe of her, things seemed to have ebbed away.

Was he even in awe of her? Maybe he'd just grown shy over the summer.

Right. He'd no sooner do that than stop hexing Snape.

Oh yeah, and what was with that too? Not once in the whole first week had he even stopped to throw a well-aimed insult at Snape; or at least not once that Lily had seen.

She also hadn't seen him do that stupid hair messing up thing. And he _always_ used to do that, especially when she was around him.

__

What was wrong with him, and why was she so bloody concerned about him?

Lily sat there, still lost in her thoughts and confusion. How had he mellowed out so much in two months? Where had the old James gone? All these questions swam around in her mind. The thing that was sticking out in her head like a big, flashing, neon sign was the question she thought she'd never find herself fretting over: Didn't he _like _her anymore?

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Author's Note: Yaaagh! I know it was short, and a bit pointless, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in here that wasn't completely stupid & filler. I'm having horrible writer's block, and it would be MUCH APPRECIATED if you'd review in with some ideas. I need all the help I can get. I hope you all weren't disappointed, but I honestly didn't know what to do--and I disappointed myself.


	6. Chapter Six

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Author's Note: Not quite so many people reviewed this time…oh well! 

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GryffindorGoddess28: I was thinking about what you suggested for your second idea. That's sort of what I'd been planning…but Shhh! Don't tell anyone else that! Thanks!

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Susan D: Glad you like how I ended it…in fact, I'm glad you like it at all! Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Not filler? Yaaay! Thanks so much for everything else you said too!

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Shanksy: Yes, suspense…I love it. Thanks!

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catlover: You love it! Great! Thanks!

Chapter Six

James stepped through the portrait hole into the Common Room. The noise in the room was almost deafening compared to the dead silence that he and Lily had walked back in. He saw Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting around a table. Sirius was entertaining a few girls; every so often they would throw their heads back in laughter. Remus was bent over a piece of parchment, frowning slightly in concentration. Peter was gazing into the fire and biting his lower lip. Though he'd seen them like this thousands of times, it was rather heartening to know that people were still laughing and acting normal, even with a mass murderer on the loose.

He slumped down in the last chair around the table, which had been reserved for him, probably to the displeasure of Sirius' audience, who were all standing or sitting on the floor.

"…and so he said, 'Awright, you, price has gone up, see? Used ter be a galleon, now it's ten Sickles!'" Sirius said to the girls, who giggled, "And so after some negotiations, we actually brought it down to five Sickles. It was the best price we'd ever gotten on Filibuster Fireworks, wasn't it Prongs?"

Sirius turned his head to face James, who was still lost in his thoughts.

"Er…yeah, yeah, it sure was," He replied, trying to sound engaged. Sirius saw right through his put-on response, and turned back to the girls only momentarily, telling them that he needed to finish up some homework. They were disappointed, but soon enough they were gone and Sirius turned his chair around to face the rest of the group.

"I see that Comedy Hour is over," Remus said sarcastically, not looking up from his paper. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Don't be a git, Moony, something's wrong with Prongs," He said. Remus' eyes flicked up to look at James. After surveying him for a moment, he set down his quill and leaned back in his chair.

"What did Dumbledore say?" Peter asked, his voice a bit higher than normal. James rubbed his forehead, sighed, and tried desperately to concentrate.

"All these funny disappearances lately," He began slowly, "They were sort of…together. But not really, it was just they were because of the same person. And they're all dead, he killed them, just like everyone thought. And now he's out in the open, this Voldemort guy, killing people all the time. He took Frank's dad to…to…show us that he could take away important people."

Every one of them was looking at him like he'd just sprouted three tentacles out of his head.

"Are you sure you're not feeling a bit…well…" Remus drifted off.

"Loony?" Sirius piped up and finished for him.

"No, I just…it's all really confusing, Evan's could tell you," James said, and realized he was still sounding insane. Silence fell around the table for a bit. Finally, Remus spoke up, sounding thoughtful.

"Okay, I've really given a thought to the stuff you said. And though it came out like a pile of rubbish, I think I get your general meaning," He said, "D'you mean that all these people who have disappeared are dead, first of all?"

"Yes," James replied. Remus nodded slightly.

"And that they all disappeared because of the same person, and were all killed by this same person?"

"Yes."

"And now this person's declared some sort of…open war on everyone, and he's killing other people too?"

"Yes."

"So the reason that he killed Frank's dad was because Mr. Longbottom was important?"

"Yes."

"And this guy's name is Voldemort?"

"Yes," James said finally with relief, happy that someone had understood what he'd meant, especially since he couldn't figure it out himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Peter shifting in his chair ever so slightly, but Remus drew his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"Well I can't see how Lily got pulled into this, but I'm sure that it'd be a bit easier to understand," He said, grinning wryly. They stopped talking for a moment, in which Sirius took the opportunity to seize Remus' parchment.

"You finished with this? Already? We only just got it today!" He yelped, scanning the page. Remus snatched it back from him.

"Sirius, has anyone ever told you the definition of 'procrastination?'" He asked, rolling it back up.

"No, but I'm sure we can't all be as procas--porcras--"

"Procrastination."

"Yes, we can't all be as _procrastinate_ as you, now can we?" Sirius asked. Remus just goggled at him and shook his head.

"Sirius, I don't procrastinate--you do," He said, "I'm going up to bed." After he'd been gone, Sirius turned to them, beaming.

"Hear that? Moony said that _I'm _pocra--praco--"

"_Procrastinate,"_ James finished for him.

"Yeah, he said that I'm procrastinate! Maybe I'm not as dumb as we all thought!" James and Peter took one look at each other before bursting into laughter.

"No, Padfoot, we never thought you were dumb," James said.

"Until now," Peter joined in, still wheezing with laughter.

James and Peter got up and began walking up the stairs to the dormitory, Sirius following. They all got into bed, cracking jokes about Sirius and how _procrastinate_ he was. James had almost drifted off to sleep when Sirius' voice rang through the room.

"Will somebody _please_ tell me what the bloody hell is so wrong with me being _procrastinate?"_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As soon as Lily got back, she wasn't surprised to see that Anna wasn't in the Common Room; in fact, she hardly ever was in there. She said that it was too noisy and all the younger kids were annoying her to death. She hurried up to the dormitory, prepared to resign herself to the worst: talking about James Potter with Anna.

She rushed in and stood at the foot of Anna's bed. Anna looked up, seeming only mildly interested.

"Anna, listen, I need you to get in a major philosophical and good advice mode right now," Lily demanded. Anna raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, now that you've given me time to think about it," She said sarcastically.

"No, no, no, I have no time for you to be the sarcastic, friendly Anna. I need you to be the smart, unbiased Anna."

"Okay, Lily, calm down," Anna replied, "And now sit down and tell me what's wrong."

Lily sat down on the end of her bed, and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to speak, and…

Nothing came out. She couldn't say it. She knew she had to do it, or else Anna would force it out of her, which was liable to turn out badly.

"Oh Lily…" Anna said, her mouth slightly open.

"What?"

"You…oh, this is wonderful! I know exactly what this is about!" She shrieked, looking absolutely gleeful. Lily really hoped she knew what it was, because she honestly didn't think she had it in her to say it aloud.

"Oh…great!" Lily said, smiling half-heartedly, "So…er…what do you suggest I do about it?" Anna sighed exasperatedly.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about, do you?" She asked.

"_You_ don't know what _I'm _talking about!"

"Of course I do, don't be ridiculous. It's been obvious for a while now that you're taken with James."

Lily sat there shocked. Her mouth hung open, and her face was getting increasingly redder. Anna, on the other hand, was smiling triumphantly.

"No I--what in the world would make you think--I'd never, ever--" Lily sputtered, searching for words. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Say whatever you want, deny it all you can. I know everything about you, Lily, I and can see through every lie that comes out of your mouth," She said, "But in the meantime, I will give you a bit of advice--that is, if you want it."

Lily slowly looked at Anna, not exactly knowing what she was going to say.

"You need to talk to somebody who knows him better than anyone."

"If you're talking about Sirius Black, I--"

"No, but if you didn't notice, that's not his only good friend," Anna said slyly, "You're smart Lily. C'mon, you can figure it out."

Lily sat for a few seconds, staring into space thoughtfully. Anna finally stood up.

"Okay, you think on it, and I'm going to see if Remus finished the Potions homework," She said, and walked out of the room.

Then, all of a sudden, Lily figured it out.

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Author's Note: Hmmmm…suspenseful! Do you know who it is? You should, I gave enough clues. If you didn't, maybe go back and reread it…or just wait until the next chapter! Thanks, and remember, reviewing only takes a minute or two!! 


	7. Chapter Seven

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Author's Note: Being the occasionally absent-minded person that I am, I forgot to give an explanation for the long wait on the last chapter. Fact is, I went to Disneyland & California Adventure again for my friend's birthday last week, so that was two days I couldn't write. Also, I had a field trip & an English paper due this week. Then I got sorta…hooked on Roller Coaster Tycoon for a while. The plus side, however, was that all of a sudden, I had this feeling of really wanting to finish the chapter…so I did. And I apologize for a) taking so long on chapter 6, and b) not giving you a reason for it. To make it up to you, I've zipped out this chapter as fast as I could! Thanks to all the reviewers…

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LilacFlowingBreeze:Hope you keep liking it! Thanks!

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Daintress: Very clever! And on Peter…he may not be working for Voldemort quite yet…but that doesn't mean he's not already scared of him, does it? Thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: Yeah, he does tend to space out every once in a while. You love it? Great! Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Well at least _somebody _appreciates my genius…just kidding! But I am glad you like it and think I'm doing a good job! Thanks!

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Susan D: Thanks!

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Peach Papayas: A new reviewer!! Coo! Thanks and hope you like this chapter!

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Shanksy: As for what took so long, see above (thanks for reminding me about explaining the wait). Thanks!

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Sena: Another new reviewer! And you love it too!!! Thanks!

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fireangel-the-HP-fan: I know…I just can't quite figure out how to put it in there properly. Let's just say his brain's somewhere else lately. I can't stand poorly written fics either! Thanks! (Yikes, I don't have to face your anger, do I?)

Chapter Seven

Classes resumed as usual the next day, and the castle was buzzing with excitement. Notices had been posted on every bulletin board, revealing that the first Hogsmeade weekend was on Halloween, before the Halloween feast, and the first Quidditch match of the season would occur the following day.

At the same time, the _Daily Prophet _put out its article reporting about Voldemort. However, the majority of the castle was still focused on the upcoming events to even pay attention to the Daily Prophet. In fact, very few people even picked up their newspaper, and the ones who did forgot about it quickly. They all seemed to think it would pass quickly, and that probably nothing would come of it.

The only problem was, something _did _come of it.

Within a week before Halloween, Hogsmeade and Quidditch games were becoming the furthest things in anyone's mind. In fact, there had even been rumors that the Hogsmeade visit was going to be cancelled. Nothing final had been said yet, but there were few students who even cared anymore. 

A lot of the students had been taken out of school as well. Some were taken out by their parents who feared for their safety, but most were ones who had lost family members or friends. It had become common for someone to be walking around the school sniffling back tears or already bawling. Even the teachers had gotten used to students bursting out in tears during class.

James had been walking around for weeks with a constant nagging in the back of his head. Everything that Dumbledore had said to him in the office had stuck with him. Though it now made more sense (thanks mainly to Remus), every time he read something about Voldemort in the Daily Prophet, Dumbledore's voice reminded him of all the responsibilities he now had. It stressed him out and would cause him to mope around for a few hours.

However, things with Lily were improving. In fact, she was one of the only things that could make him forget all about Voldemort. She still was slightly cold towards him sometimes, but every so often, they'd have a mildly interesting conversation.

On the Tuesday before Halloween, James found himself nearly falling asleep during a History of Magic Class---which, truth be told, was not exactly a rare occurrence. He was saved from falling of his chair with drowsiness when the bell rang loudly. It was their last class of the day, and everyone scurried towards the door.

They all went to dinner and ate rather silently, out of both fatigue and starvation. After dinner they went back to Gryffindor tower. Remus was there for hardly five minutes before grabbing his books and heading off to the library. Sirius challenged James to a match of Wizard Chess, and Peter mumbled something about still being hungry and going to the kitchens.

So far, it had been a very boring day.

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Lily glanced around the library, hoping that Remus was here, and, more importantly, that he was alone. She spotted him at the other end of the room, engrossed in a book. She hurried over to where he sat and put her book down on the table.

"Hi," She said quietly, "Is anyone sitting here?"

He looked up from his book and smiled.

"Somebody is now," He said. Lily sat down and opened her book, her stomach flip-flopping. She tried to concentrate but couldn't.

"So," She said cheerfully, "What's new with you?"

"Nothing much," He replied, shrugging, "But I think I should ask you the same question."

__

Damn, Lily thought to herself, _Why does everyone always know when something's wrong with me? _

"Nothing much--" Lily began to lie, but for some reason she couldn't help thinking about what Anna would say to her. "Er…can I ask you something?" She said, rather nervously.

"Go for it," Remus replied, leaning back in his chair.

"We're friends, right?" She asked. He nodded. "Okay, good, because you can't tell anyone about any of this, okay?" He nodded again.

Lily took a deep breath, knowing she was going to regret all of this.

"Well…this girl I know…she's got herself in a bit of dilemma. You see, there's this guy she's never been particularly fond of, even though he's liked her for a long time. And now she thinks she might be a little bit more…er…fond of him than previously," Lily said, trying desperately not to turn red. Remus sighed, grinning slightly.

"Lily, the whole 'my friend' story isn't going to work in this instance. It might have if you and James weren't the only two people in the whole castle that could be in that situation," He said. Lily didn't know what to do. The two sat there for a moment. "I take it that you like James now?"

"I'm not sure," Lily said, sighing, "He's always been…such a…jerk, and arrogant, and annoying. But for some reason he's different now, and I don't know what to think about it or what to do about it."

"So you came to me?" He asked. Lily shrugged.

"Not really," She said sheepishly, "I went to Anna first, and then she hinted that maybe I should go to someone who really knew James. And we all know that Sirius doesn't have the mental capacity nor the ability to keep a secret like this."

"Sad, but true," Remus replied, "You should have heard him a while ago--anyways, let's get back to your problem."

"It's not a…a _problem!_ I'm just having some trouble sorting out my thoughts, okay?" Lily said.

"Okay, whatever," He said, rolling his eyes, "The fact is, you've already solved your own problem. Yes, he used to be an arrogant little berk, _but he's different now._ Something changed him, and I don't know exactly what it was, but I have a feeling it was more a _someone _than a something."

"Just because he's different now doesn't mean that I can just forget everything else he's done before! What if this all some sort of act?" Lily shot back. Remus sighed and rubbed his forehead. After what seemed like a great deal of thought, he finally spoke again.

"Lily, like you said before, we're friends--and since you've told me one of your secrets, I'm going to tell you one of mine," He paused, then went on, "When I was young, I didn't have much of a brain. In the town my family was living in, there was a werewolf on the loose. No one had caught it yet, and one night, when I was about four, I snuck out of the house at night. Needless to say, it was stupid, and I met up with the werewolf and got bitten."

"What?" Lily said, astounded, "You're not really a--a werewolf, are you?"

"Yes, I really am. I thought you'd have figured it out before. After all, you're smart enough to--in fact, I'm surprised no one else has figured it out," He continued, "My parents thought I'd never be able to go to school, but when Professor Dumbledore took up the job, he found a way to let me come here like any other young wizard. We all thought that no one would ever find out and I'd be like any other normal kid. And when I came here, I became happier than I'd ever been before. My transformations were extremely painful, I had to leave school every full moon--but I had friends, best friends."

"James, Sirius, and Peter, right?" Lily interjected.

"Right. And the funny thing is, I'd picked myself the most interesting friends out of the whole school. They'd run around and break the rules, pull pranks on people, but I knew they were smarter than most of the people here. I was worried they'd find out and then desert me in fear. I hated lying to them--they told me everything. Sirius confided in me about his family problems, Peter about all his schoolwork troubles, and James told me about probably the most important thing in his life," He said, smirking.

"What?" Lily asked breathlessly.

"He told me about how much he admired a certain red-headed girl," Remus said, and Lily blushed, "And so here they were, trusting me unconditionally, and I was keeping an enormous secret from them, a secret that could ruin our friendship forever."

"So they still don't know?" Lily asked.

"Like I said, they're smart. Excuses of a sick grandmother were wearing thin, and they put the pieces together. They confronted me about it, and I didn't know what to do. My biggest fear was staring me in the face. I ended up telling them the truth. And it was amazing, because after they found out, they still wanted to be friends with me. Not only that, they made the times when I was transformed actually enjoyable."

He finally finished, and Lily was confused. She had a thousand questions to ask him, but decided to go with the biggest one first.

"So what does this have to do with everything?" She asked.

"Lily, you asked before if the way he is today is an act. I would highly doubt that, for a few reasons."

"And those reasons are…"

"First of all, I've probably watch the two of you go back and forth enough to last me a lifetime. The way he used to act around you was so different than the way he'd be around us. If anything he ever did was an act, it was the arrogance and idiocy that he put on around you," Remus said, "And also, the most important reason, and the purpose of telling you my long story: James, while he can be stupid every once in a while, is one of the kindest people I've ever met. He, Sirius, and Peter were friends with me when they had every right not to be."

"So what do you suggest I do, then?" Lily asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Remus shut his book.

"I think you know what you need to do," He said, standing up.

Before he left, Lily remembered another question she had.

"How did they make your time as a werewolf okay?" She asked quickly.

Remus opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated.

"That is something I don't think I can tell you, Lily," He replied, looking thoughtful, "But I'm sure James will tell you soon enough--that is, if you give him a chance to."

And he left Lily sitting there; feeling much less confused than she had been before. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she only had ten minutes until she had to patrol corridors.

Only ten minutes to figure out what exactly she was going to do.

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Author's Note: Please don't kill me! I know this chapter was slightly short, and not to mention I left you with a cliffhanger, but it's all going to come together, don't worry! I've had complaints before about having too much dialogue, and this chapter was certainly filled with talking, but I couldn't really do it any other way. Meh. Anyways, did you love it, like it, hate it? (I'm not too crazy about re-telling the same old Remus story again, but it'd be even shorter if I didn't!) Tell me in a review!!! 


	8. Chapter Eight

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Author's Note: I AM SO SORRY! I know it's taken me forever! Let me give an explanation: From May 3-7, I had state exams, which I know I forgot to mention to you all. Then, I had a few projects due & a math exam that next week. And on Wednesday, my aunt, uncle, and three cousins came from Canada to visit for a few days. And yesterday, I was gone all day on a cotton candy fundraiser for my Student Council. Anyways, I hope you're not too mad and haven't abandoned me…because this is an important chapter! Thanks to you all who reviewed…

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chippagirl: I know, and it's a horrible downfall too! But, as you can see above, I was a little busy. But here it is, finally! (And thanks!)

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sunnysweetie: Thanks for reading again, and hope you'll like this chapter!

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Susan D: Wow, you actually liked the whole Remus story? I thought people would be tired of hearing it by now…but that's great! Thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: I'm so glad you "LURVE" it! Hope you like this chapter too, and thanks a lot!

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yeen: One of the best? Wow, that's so nice of you! I'm glad you like my characters, and I hope you liked it enough to read again! Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: I'm sorry for leaving you like that, especially for so long! I hope you'll still read! And I'm definitely going to continue writing this, I'm just not sure quite how long. So here it is, even though you know what was going to happen, it's the actual words!! Thanks!

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katmiester: Considering how much I hate cliffhangers, it's amazing that I put so many of them in there. But I'm so glad you like my story, and I hope you continue liking it! Thanks!

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TheSilverLady: Thanks!

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Tanya J Potter: So glad you like it, and I hope you're not too mad I took forever to update. Thanks!

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Lone Songbird: Ten points? Awesome! I'm glad you like everything about it, and especially that you like Anna…I was hoping she wouldn't be too useless or annoying in the story. Thanks, and I hope you keep reading! (By the way, I love your name!)

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loonyloonylupin: Glad you like the story, especially since you're picky about them (I am too)! Hope you keep reading, and thanks!

Chapter Eight

James sat in the Common Room; his game of chess against Sirius was finally over. In fact, Sirius wasn't even here; nor was Remus. After Sirius making another comment about the whole "procrastinate" thing (which he still couldn't pronounce right), Remus had dragged him off to the library, insisting that he learn the true meaning. Peter had gone up to the dormitory. He started when someone from behind him cleared their voice. He looked up, to see Lily was standing there, smiling nervously.

"Er…we have to go," She said, a bit timidly. At first he was completely confused as to what she meant, but suddenly remembered that he had to go patrol the corridors with her. He had forgotten about it, and had planned on finishing his Transfiguration homework.

"Oh, sure," James replied, getting up lazily and yawning. He was actually very tired, but felt like he needed to be on top of things--after what Dumbledore had said to he and Lily in his office, James had been feeling like he should do his best at everything.

They walked through the corridors rather slowly, not speaking much. James figured Lily must be having a hard times getting into a conversation with him yawning every other five seconds, but he could hardly help it. They found nothing really interesting around the school, except for a few dungbombs (unused) that they'd argued about for a few minutes.

"Put them in the next trash can you see," She'd said, while eyeing them cautiously.

"Yeah, I could, but then they'd explode and Filch'd be after us before you could say…er…well, before you could even say one word," James had replied. After a few more protests from Lily, he quickly pocketed them while she wasn't looking.

Quite a bit later, Lily announced that they were done. Thankfully, and feeling extremely exhausted, the pair made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. James was longing to be able to go up to hi four-poster bed and fall asleep, but right as he opened his mouth to give the password to the Fat Lady, he was interrupted by a very small voice.

"James?" Lily said from behind him, and, wondering what was coming next, James turned around.

"Yeah?" He replied, leaning against the wall. Lily hesitated for an awfully long time before speaking again.

"Well, I--uh--I feel really stupid asking this, but---well--" She stammered (was it his imagination or did she look redder than usual?), "How come…you're not so--well, _annoying _this year?"

__

Oh great, James thought_, How am I supposed to answer this?_ He quickly racked his brains for something rational to say.

"I really have no idea why," He said, shrugging, "I didn't really even know I was that different until Anna brought it to my attention."

"Oh…" She said timidly (James now knew she was blushing--her face was as red as her hair), "Well, I just noticed that you don't ask me out anymore, or bug me about that stuff, I guess."

"Well, that must be pretty nice for you," James said, grinning. She said nothing, and he immediately stopped smiling.

"So…y-you don't like me anymore, right?" Lily said, very slowly and weakly, biting her lip.

James took his time on this. He had two choices of a response. One, he could lie and say he didn't like her anymore, which would probably make her very glad indeed. Or, he could opt to let everything come spilling out in a garbled mess and make the both of them feel extremely uncomfortable. Finally, while trying to figure out exactly how he'd word his particular response, Lily cleared her throat quietly, making him realize he'd been standing there for quite a long time.

"Lily, I know I haven't been really…paying as much attention to you as usual," James said, pausing and sighing, "But I thought you'd understand by now that I could never just…_stop liking you._ And it's not like I just _like_ you either, I'm completely smitten with you. So…yeah."

Until this point, she'd been staring very determinedly at the floor, but she finally looked up, and her face shone with an expression James had never quite seen before. He didn't know exactly what to do after just making a complete fool of himself.

He sighed and looked toward the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was snoozing lightly.

A moment later, he jumped when he found somebody kissing him. It should have shocked him more when he realized that it was, as he'd hoped, Lily who had flung herself on him--but all he could do was wrap his arms around her and feel happier than he ever had before.

Lily was experiencing something of the same sort. She never expected to have been happy to hear that James was still crazy about her--and she most _certainly _never had dreamed of throwing herself on him like this. It was downright unusual.

However, of all the feelings she was having at the moment, relief flooded through her more than anything. When they finally broke apart, she couldn't stop herself from smiling a little bit.

"What…in the world was that all about?" James asked, his eyes wide.

"Er…well, I hadn't really thought about that part yet," Lily replied, shrugging. James laughed.

"Okay, so neither of us know what's going on," He said, "But whatever it is, it's working out pretty good for me."

Likely slipped her hand into his and they walked into the deserted Gryffindor Common Room, finally together.

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Author's Note: Okay, so it was short--but there was a lot in the small amount of words, wasn't there? I know everyone's their own worst critic, but I don't really know if this was meaningful or believable enough…would you please give me your opinion? I would really appreciate it…and I promise to try my hardest not to take forever to update! Remember to review!


	9. Chapter Nine

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Author's Note: I updated sooner! Yaaay! I hope you like this chapter, it's not exactly been my favorite. But it's still here, and more interesting chapters are coming soon to a computer screen near you! Hope you like it!

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Quack Quack 88: Cool, a new reader/reviewer! I'm glad you thought it was good! And as for the elaboration bit, I was trying to fit the flow of the story to the way Lily was thinking at that point--not quite clearly, spontaneously, carelessly. I will elaborate as the story goes on, particularly in this chapter. Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Gee, no matter how bad I think my chapters are, you always love them--and I love that! Yeah, I was trying to make the chapter a little awkward to match how the two were probably feeling at that point. James, worthy of Remus? He would appreciate that compliment, I'm sure! Thanks!

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Tanya J Potter: Glad you love it, and hope I've updated soon enough for you! Thanks!

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mione-xavier: I know, I've got a terrible habit about not updating. But I think this time was a little quicker…hopefully! Thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: I'm glad you like my story so much! Thanks!

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practiceGirly: Oh man…similar in what way? I've never even read that story before. I guess all L/J stories are similar in basis, since the storyline is pretty much set in stone. Hopefully as time goes on you could see my story as a little bit different than someone else's. Thanks, though!

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Sk8er Gal: I'm so glad you like it! Here's more, and thanks!

Chapter Nine

Lily walked up to her dormitory, after saying a rather shy good-bye to James, and found Anna still awake. She was sitting up on her bed, a book propped up against her knees, and frowning with concentration. She looked up for a moment, then returned to her reading--and almost like a cartoon, she did a double take.

"What's with you?" Anna asked, rather bluntly. Lily just sighed happily and walked over to her four-poster bed, feeling very much like she was in a dream. "Okay, never mind, anything that could make you that dazed, I really don't want to know." And so she returned to reading her book, flipping the pages in a way that seemed rather irritated.

"Oh, Anna," Lily murmured, "Thanks. A lot." Anna looked up again, shaking her head.

"Lily, I think I've done about a thousand things that you should have--not that you did--thanked me for. And _now_ something's important enough to express your gratitude? There _must_ be something wrong with you," She said, shaking her head.

"Yeah…well, good night," Lily said, and without even changing into her pajamas, she fell asleep right there--for about three hours, which is when she woke up, feeling considerably more level-headed than before. A thousand not-so-good thoughts were swarming & bussing around her head like bees.

__

What have I done? She asked herself, wondering if and how she could fix it. From that point on, she dreamt up ridiculous scenarios of herself desperately trying to erase what had just happened. Surprisingly enough, before she drifted back to sleep, all she could think about was how ecstatic she'd felt from the moment their lips had touched…

And it was because of this that when she saw James the next morning at breakfast, she boldly went over and sat right across from him, causing a number of reactions from Remus, Sirius, and Peter. Sirius' piece of toast dropped out of his mouth, Remus (who was sitting next to her) elbowed her slightly and flashed her a small smile, and Peter just goggled.

"Er…morning, everyone," She said uncertainly, feeling very uncomfortable indeed. Chancing a glance at James across the table, she saw that he looked a little panicked. Quickly realizing what was going on, she tried to think of a cover for it. "Remus," She said brightly, turning to her left, "I was wondering if you'd finished that Muggle Studies essay yet."

Remus looked at her, clearly puzzled. "What essay?" He asked.

"The Muggle Studies one," She said pointedly, stepping on his foot under the table. He seemed to finally come to his senses.

"Oh--OH! Yes, well, I'm not quite finished with it yet, but I think it'll be done at least by tonight," He said, and she nodded, getting up.

"Well…nice seeing you all," She said, and shot a meaningful (but momentary) look at James, who looked extremely grateful. As she walked over to join Anna, who had just entered the Great Hall, she felt considerably worried. Was something wrong already? Her question, was answered, however, only a few minutes later when James caught up to her on the way to Potions.

"Hey," He said after finally catching up with her, "Thanks for that back there."

"Uh-huh," She replied, feeling a little irritated with him. After all, it was a pretty big thing that had happened between them…at least to her. After thinking for a while, she'd thought that maybe she'd been wrong about him. Maybe he had just gone after her to prove that he could get her, and now the chase was over, so were his feelings.

"I suppose you want some sort of explanation," James said, speaking very slowly. Lily sighed with exasperation.

"Well, yes, that would be nice," She snapped, "After all, now that we've--"

"Okay, okay, I get it," He mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "But I do have a good reason, if you'll give me chance to tell you it."

"When? We have class right now!" Lily said, just as the bell rang. James looked around quickly as people scrambled to get to their classes.

"Would you be willing to…er…skip out of class for a few minutes?" He asked meekly. Just as Lily was about to start yelling at him, she stopped. As angry as she was at the moment, she couldn't help but wanting things to be okay--and it seemed that the only way it would ever be okay is if she at least heard him out. If he really did have a good explanation, things would be fine. But if he was just being an idiot…well, as much as she wanted to think she had nothing to lose, a feeling inside told her she had a whole lot to lose indeed.

Much to James' relief, Lily had decided that missing one class was all right. He took her hand and half-dragged her into an empty classroom, where he tried to think of how to explain things in the right way. Before he could even say one word, she started speaking.

"What in the world is wrong with you? For six years you bother me nonstop about how much you care about me--you asked me out twice a day! And now, when you've finally got everything just the way you want it, you pretend like none of it ever happened! I thought that I actually had feelings for you, but maybe I was just following your lead and acting without thinking! I put everything on the line for this! What happened?" She finished, looking tearful. James sighed, hoping what he had to say would make her feel better. He thought that if she cried, he probably wouldn't be able to sputter out anything at all.

"Lily, I never--never--wanted to make you feel this way. I just haven't exactly…gotten around to telling everyone yet, okay?" He said. She threw her hands up in frustration.

"Obviously! They all looked at me like I was from another planet when I sat there! Do you have any idea how that made me feel, especially when I had to--"

"Okay, okay, I get it. You're mad. I probably would be too! But I have a good reason for not telling them, all right?" James said, struggling to find words, "Even though this is going to sound corny…I wanted to know whether it was okay with you to tell them, and just to make sure we were on the same page with all of this. You…" James paused, hoping what he was about to say would come out right, "You mean so much to me, okay? I know it's not like we've been in a long term relationship or anything, but you've always been important to me. And now that I mean something to you, even if I only mean a little bit, I didn't want to wreck it by doing something stupid right from the get-go."

It seemed all Lily could do was stand there, looking slightly shocked. When she didn't say anything, James tried a different approach.

"Listen, why don't we keep it to ourselves for a while, until we get it all sorted out," He said, "Sirius might end up in St. Mungo's if we tell him right before the Quidditch game. The shock might get to him a little bit." Lily laughed, the first noise she'd made in the last while.

"Sounds like a plan to me," She said, smiling. James felt a wave of relief come over him, now that he knew she wasn't going to get mad at him. "So do you think we should go back to our classes now?" Lily asked.

They argued for about ten minutes on the issue of whether to go back to class or to just miss the whole thing. James, as could be expected, tried to persuade Lily into letting him show her all the school's secret passages. Lily had questioned his motives for wanting to show her their secrets of the school, and James had a hard time thinking up an answer that she'd want to hear.

"James," She had said, "The only reason you want to show me secret passages is because they're likely very dark & small. And as much as I know you'd like to be like those little third year couples and go snog in a broom cupboard--"

"It's not a broom cupboard, for heaven's sakes, it's a _secret passage_!" James had protested vehemently.

"Same difference. Plus, I already know half of the ones in this school anyway. You've forgot that I've already spent two years patrolling corridors at night."

In the end, James had half-persuaded her. She agreed that going back to class right now was pretty much pointless, seeing that they only had about a half an hour left. They decided to walk up to the Astronomy tower, since no one was up there in the daytime.

"I'm really glad you're still not mad at me," James said as they exited the classroom. Lily laughed.

"In six years, I've never heard you be as sentimental and sweet as you've been in the past 24 hours," She said.

"Yeah, well in six years, I've never seen you so free-spirited and rule-breaking as you've been in the past 24 hours," James replied.

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me," Lily said, still smiling as she took his hand.

And so the two of them walked down the hallways and up to the tower, feeling extremely happy--and neither realized that bad things were coming their way.


	10. Chapter Ten

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Author's Note: Hello, all! I know I left you with a little bit of a cliffhanger--but it's not going to be resolved in this chapter, unfortunately! I think I'll let you have one more happy chapter before I lay all that misery on you. But on a lighter note, this is the Quidditch chapter (or at least, it's the first Quidditch chapter…more on that later in the story). Just so we all know, James is going to be Chaser. I've never really thought of him as a Chaser before, but I'm going to try it out this time. What's life without a little challenge? And, so you know, **PLEASE READ THIS!!!** I'm going on a trip to Canada starting tomorrow and until July 3rd, which means my next update will be around July 10th or something. I knew I really needed to update before then or you would probably make some list of ff.net authors to never read a story from and put my on it. So, here's a _nice, VERY LONG, _chapter to satisfy you until then! I'm not going to be able to write anything when I'm gone, but I might be able to have time to read your reviews, like the ones from people who reviewed last time:

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Manny2003: Yes, they would all go into shock. And they probably still will when they eventually do tell them. Thanks!

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Kita: Let's just say if it were Snape or a Professor, that'd be the _least_ of their worries…oh no, it's something much worse. Thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: I'm so glad you're glad! And, yeah, Evanescence is pretty cool. They're not exactly my favorite band, but I do listen to them quite a bit! Thanks!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Phew! I'm glad things are still going smoothly. I was struggling with writing that lovey stuff. James is just not telling Sirius because he'd worried about what people would think--silly boys and their images and whatnot. We all know what a mouth Sirius has on him, so he'd probably tell just about everyone in a few minute's time. And Remus, as we all know, is a pretty smart cookie, so he's got some idea of what's going on. As for how they went unseen in the Common Room…well, maybe no one else was awake…or maybe they stopped holding hands just as they entered. Anyhow, feel free to make up the reason why. Thanks!

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Modesty and Madison Twins: I know your review wasn't really for the story, but I feel it's my duty to at least mention everyone who reviews. I'm glad you think it's a good story, so thanks!

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slytherin fan: Haha, yes, I know, I'm just so clever. Just kidding, but I was trying to persuade you to vote without begging. And it worked, didn't it! Anyhow, I hope you read this chapter, and like it too. Thanks!

Chapter Ten

By the time the weekend rolled around, just about everyone in the whole castle was excited about the upcoming Quidditch match. As could only be expected, most of the Slytherins were trying to put anyone on the Gryffindor team out of action--not to say that the feeling wasn't mutual, since the Gryffindor Keeper had actually punched the Slytherins' Keeper right in the nose. Sirius protested that the only reason he'd done it was because one of Slytherin Beaters had tried to pour some Swelling Solution right on one of the Gryffindor Chasers--but all the same, Professor McGonagall had given her own team's Keeper a week's worth of detentions (after the game was over, of course).

Meanwhile, both Lily and James had managed to not let anyone know about their relationship, not to say there hadn't been any close calls. One morning at breakfast, Sirius had asked where James had been the previous night. James had thoughtlessly said he'd been with Lily--which made Sirius spit out all of his orange juice. Quickly, James had covered by telling him he'd only been _dreaming_ about being with Lily. Sirius had looked a little suspicious, but then spotted an enormous plate of sausages, and quickly forgot it.

Lily hadn't exactly been without fault either. Anna was…well, she was a bit cleverer than Sirius, not to mention that she had what Lily called her "sixth sense"--she could always tell when something had happened to her friends, and this time was no exception. She'd been throwing questions at Lily left and right, hoping to catch her off guard at some moment. It had almost worked one time, when Lily had replied a little more panicked than normal. So far, however, if Anna knew anything, she wasn't talking about it.

Of course, it wasn't like it had been easy keeping it from the rest of the school either. They both had tried to be careful about everything they did, everywhere they went--but there had been some times where they were sure they would be caught. For example, Lily and James were _supposed_ to be patrolling the corridors one night, but seeing that they didn't get to be together at all during the day, it was the one of the only times they could be alone together. They had been getting along fine until Professor McGonagall's footsteps started ringing through the hall. The two had only pulled apart just as she came rounding the corner.

And if it wasn't enough that the two were torn apart during the daytime, Voldemort's attacks had been getting worse and worse by the day. People had being going into hiding, or at least that's what the rumors were. Everyone in Hogwarts, students and teachers alike were sad when they heard about a new attack--or at least, _almost_ everyone was. The Slytherins had been gleeful lately, for no specific reason, so they said. However, almost all the rest of the school (though they didn't say it), knew that it was because "Voldemort had been ridding the Wizarding community of all the filth", as one brave Slytherin had said early on. He was expelled from Hogwarts, and now the rest of the Slytherins had kept their mouths shut.

So, all in all, it was a nice change when everyone got to go out and watch the Quidditch game.

"…and it's Potter with the Quaffle, he's racing down the pitch--come on--and…YES! He scores! That's fifty for Gryffindor, and fourty for Slytherin…"

A great mix of noise erupted from the stadium; filled with cheers from the Gryffindor side & groans from the Slytherin side. As James zoomed back down the pitch getting high-fives from his teammates, Lily felt a surge of pride inside.

"He's great, don't you think?" Anna yelled from beside her, amidst people still cheering madly. Lily jumped--she couldn't mean what she thought…could she? "As a Quidditch player, I mean," She added, and Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lily replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Anna was quiet for a minute.

"Of course, he's great _outside of Quidditch_, too," She said, this time at much quieter volume, "Not that you'd ever think so. I mean, it's just an observation."

By this time, thought she was embarrassed, Lily could see right through her friend. Anna was, simply put, much too straightforward to be hedging a conversation like this. It was obvious she could tell something had been going on between her and James--and, if Lily hadn't promised not to tell anyone, she would have probably just admitted it right there.

"I suppose he's not so bad after all," She said, looking at Anna and grinning slightly. After this long of being best friends, both understood each other perfectly at that point: Anna knew that Lily had come to really like James, and Lily knew that Anna could tell what was happening. And, just like a good friend, Anna didn't say a word about it for the rest of the time.

Much later in the game, the seconds were ticking away until the end. Neither team had caught the Snitch yet, and the score was tied. The chasers were scrambling for the Quaffle; the two Seekers were zooming around frantically for the Snitch. The commentary was barely keeping up with the game.

"Fithe, Fithe of Slytherin, zooming towards the Gryffindor goal, Quaffle in hand…and…what's this? Fithe hit by a Bludger from a Gryffindor Beater, and he's dropped the Quaffle--looks like it's going to hit the ground--"

But it didn't hit the ground, though it very near did. A scarlet & gold blur had swooped in at the last moment and grabbed the Quaffle. They (whoever it was) were now flying full force up the pitch, towards the Slytherin goal. Everyone in the stands was waiting with baited breath to see what would happen.

"And whoever that is will surely give the Slytherins' Keeper a run for their money, the goals are left almost completely unguarded. He's getting dangerously close to those hoops, it looks like he's about ready to--"

Nobody heard what the commentator said next, because within a few seconds, the player holding the Quaffle took their shot. It was pelting toward the hoop farthest to the right, and so was the Slytherin Keeper. He dove to try and save it--but it was too late. The Quaffle glided effortlessly through the golden hoop. It was just in time, too, because the whistle signaling the end of the game sounded at that moment. The stadium exploded with cheers; not only from the Gryffindor side but also from Ravenclaw & Hufflepuff, who were both glad to see Slytherin defeated.

It was only at this point that everyone got a good look at the player who'd just won the game. The whole time everyone had been calling out random theories on who it had been--someone had even yelled the name of the Gryffindors' Seeker. Now, however, it was clear who had scored that game-winning shot, and nobody was too surprised to see that it was James Potter.

Crowds of students were now flooding onto the field--Sirius, Remus, and Peter reached James first. Sirius clapped James so hard on the back he nearly fell over, and Peter was looking like he was about to explode with excitement. Lily wanted more than anything to run over to him, to congratulate him and hug him--but, of course, she knew she couldn't. At that moment, she knew she couldn't stand it all anymore: being away from him for so long everyday, not being able to enjoy her time with him, and worrying about what everyone else would think. She watched everyone else crowd around him, wishing she could be one of them, and she also watched him as he walked up to the castle.

She and Anna walked up to the castle with everyone else. It was nightfall by the time they finally got into the Entrance Hall. Voices were coming from head of the staircase in front of them, and Lily turned bright red as she saw James standing there. Anna grinned slightly.

"I've just remembered--I've got to finish…er…well, I've got to go to the library," She said, walking away from Lily, "But I'll see you later."

"…Oh, James, that last goal was just incredible!"

"You're, like, the greatest Quidditch player _ever!_"

"The Gryffindor team would be nothing without you!"

"You should play professional Quidditch one day, really, you should!"

James was surrounded by a group of girls, who were all gushing over the game (for the thousandth time). He'd been keeping an eye out for Lily, which was the only reason he was actually staying in the Entrance Hall. Sirius, as could only be expected, had organized some huge party to celebrate the win. He had been enthusiastically describing the food they'd have to these same girls, who asked him--all in wonder at the time--how in the world he was going to get 50 pounds of Honeyduke's chocolate so quickly. In fact, even James had been a little confused as to how Sirius would manage that. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and out of the corner of his eye saw that it was Lily. He quickly excused himself from the girls, who looked disappointed.

"…He is _so _hung up on her…"

"_Still?_ Hasn't he got a clue yet?"

"I'd've thought he'd realize by now that there was no chance…"

"Honestly, he's got a better chance of making the giant squid fall in love with him than _her_…"

James quickly fell into step beside Lily, who looked very glad indeed.

"Sorry about that," He said, "I was just waiting for you, and then they came along, so…"

"Don't worry about it," She replied, "I'm not going to kill you for talking to other girls. After all, _I'm_ still your girlfriend."

"Yeah," James said, rather giddily. He was still getting used to the fact that Lily Evans was his girlfriend. _If I'm having a hard time getting used to it, I wonder what everyone else is going to think?_ He thought to himself. Truth was, he was sick of everybody not knowing. Six years he'd waited, and while he had gotten what he wanted now, he couldn't let anyone else see him revel in his happiness.

"Congratulations on the game," Lily said, "You really were amazing."

"Thanks. I was going to wait for you afterwards, but at this point I suppose it's not an option. Sorry," James said to her. She shrugged, obviously unconcerned.

"No big deal. At least we're together now," She said, just as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"I know we're together now," James said, "But I wish we could be together _more._" Lily looked at him with what looked like a mixture of sympathy and misery. She leaned over and hugged him.

"Well, we will. Eventually," She said, still wrapped in his arms. James sighed.

"Do you feel like hanging out with me in Hogsmeade tomorrow?" He asked, waiting for her reply, desperately hoping she too was ready to get out of their "secret relationship" phase.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Well, I'm allowed to now, aren't I?" James replied. Lily laughed.

"I suppose you are. What a scary thought that is," She said, "And you know something even scarier? I'm feeling compelled to accept."

"So are you saying yes?"

"I am saying yes."

It was oddly coincidental that the first Quidditch match, Hogsmeade trip, and the Halloween feast had all fallen upon the same weekend. Usually, Quidditch hadn't started until mid-November. However, there was no hesitation or confusion about why exactly this was. Everyone was too excited about everything, and they had been enjoying it fully.

James had decided today was the day he had to throw away all his inhibitions about being with Lily. He didn't want to push her into anything, certainly, but he knew that this all had to end. There was no way he was going to be a secret forever, no matter if she was going to be embarrassed by it or not.

By midday, over half of the castle was eagerly waiting to be released into Hogsmeade, while Lily looked around the Entrance Hall for James. She and Anna were waiting patiently (unlike everyone else) at the top of the stairs, leaning against the banisters. Anna was being extremely helpful trying to find him for Lily.

"Oh, is that him? The one closest to the door down there?" She asked, peering across the hall.

"No Anna, that's a third year."

"Really? Ah, you're right, it is! Well, let's see here…hey, hey, I think I see him! Smack in the middle of the crowd, you see there?"

"Wha…that's a girl." Perhaps she was being a little _too_ helpful.

"Ohhh…"

"Listen, just don't worry about it. We'll find him eventually. It's not like he's going to leave without me," Lily said. _I hope_, she thought quickly, biting her lip.

Of course, barely minutes later, James appeared in the Entrance Hall, surprisingly alone. His timing was so perfect that, just as he greeted Lily & Anna, Filch opened the doors and everyone started queuing up to get their names checked off. Anna departed the group to join Sirius, Remus, and Peter into Hogsmeade after learning that they were still in the Common Room combining all of their money. So, after saying goodbye to Anna, James and Lily joined everyone else in line.

"I swear the three of them have enough money to buy one of everything in Zonko's," James muttered, shaking his head. Lily laughed.

"So what's taking them so long, then?" She asked.

"Well, Remus has about 200 galleons saved up from past years, and Sirius is trying to convince him to pitch that in too. And, you know Remus, he's all sensible and whatnot, so he's said he's absolutely not giving in more than he has," James said, "Sirius is horrible about using other peoples' money. Before I left he practically attacked me trying to get some of mine."

"Maybe it's better he doesn't have all that money. Knowing him, he'd make the whole school…explode, or flood, or something," Lily said.

The two passed the time in line by predicting what kinds of things Sirius could manage to do to the castle with a well-stocked supply of Zonko's merchandise. By the time they finally reached Filch, he was in an even more terrible mood than usual, and seeing James certainly didn't improve his demeanor.

"Potter," He growled viciously, scanning the sheet for James' name. When he'd apparently reached it, he checked it off very violently indeed. "If you come back with so much as one Dungbomb, you're going to wish you'd never been born." He hissed, before moving on to Lily. Luckily, he had nothing to say to her, and let the two of them go, glaring at James as he walked away.

"What a nutter…" James mumbled as they walked down the road, "He honestly blames me or Sirius for just about _everything_ bad that happens around here. One time, he blamed us for knocking a cabinet over in the Transfiguration department at midnight!"

The topic of Filch and how disgusting, unfair, and loathsome he was lasted the two of the down all the way to Hogsmeade. Lily had expected things to be slightly awkward between the two of them; after all, it was the first time they'd been out together. Of course, it didn't exactly look like they were dating or anything--it just seemed like they'd put differences behind and become good friends.

However, the last thing she could have called their experience was awkward. They visited just about everywhere in Hogsmeade, beginning with Zonko's, where James showed Lily his expertise in every field of trouble making. Lily, who'd only been in there once or twice before, found herself intrigued quite a few times by the complexity of every little trinket in the store.

Next they stopped in at Honeyduke's, which was filled with excited, noisy, Hogwarts students. They browsed through all the different containers of candy until they reached the section of the store filled with obscure treats. Lily dared James to buy a blood lollipop and taste it. James agreed, saying he only would if Lily in turn bought a full bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and ate only the most disgustingly colored ones. After purchasing the items (and receiving strange looks from the man at the cash register), they went outside and sampled each one. James gagged a few times after tasting the lollipop, which he bravely stuck right in his mouth. He then made Lily try a sickly rainbow colored jellybean, which nearly made her throw up. They never really did figure out what flavor it might have been.

After visiting a few more small shops, they two climbed the hill to the Shrieking Shack. Both of them had been there before many times, but after Lily had wondered aloud whether there really _was _a way to get in, they spent a good hour pulling, pushing, prodding, banging, and exploring every inch of the outside, looking for the smallest opening. In the end, they came to the conclusion that they were never going to find the way in, if there even was one.

"Well, there _is _a way in," James said matter-of-factly, as they walked back down the hill.

"Oh, right," Lily said, "And pigs can fly."

"What do you mean? Pigs _can _fly! I mean, if you put a Levitating charm or strap them to a broomstick…" James said, utterly confused.

"Never mind. It's a Muggle saying," Lily said, "What I meant was that it's highly doubtful that there's a way into the Shrieking Shack."

"There is," James said, "I'm not kidding. I've been in there before." His tone of voice was so sincere that Lily couldn't help but be curious.

"You have? How? Where is it? How did we miss it?" Lily asked. James grinned and winked at her.

"I'll tell you eventually," He said, "But for now it's going to be my secret."

"You are such a prat," Lily said, sighing.

"I know," James said, "But at least now I know you like me anyway."

Gusts of wind had started picking up, making it particularly icy outside. Lily suggested going back to Hogwarts, but James protested that there could be no real trip to Hogsmeade without going to the Three Broomsticks.

The Three Broomsticks was glowing with warmth, as always, and filled with the chatter of about a hundred people. They walked up to the counter and James asked for two butterbeers, which he also gallantly paid for. They went and sat down, and several people gave them quizzical looks. However, more people were interested in coming up and congratulating James on the Quidditch game. Not quite as many girls came over to talk to him, which Lily guessed was mainly because of her--in fact, she was getting a few stares from girls sitting in other places around the room.

After what seemed like the last of the people coming to talk about the game with James had left, he asked what a "muggle saying" was. Lily laughed at him for a few minutes, which made him rather indignant, before explaining what exactly a "muggle saying" was.

"… and you know how some people say 'Merlin's Beard!' when they're surprised or something? Well, some Muggles have taken to saying things like 'Holy Smokes!' or 'Holey Moley!'…James…are you getting any of this?" Lily asked, after she was finished her long story about Muggles.

"Er…why would they say 'holy'? Smoke isn't holy--and moley isn't even a word! You people sure are weird…" He said. This caused Lily to break out in hysterical laughter again.

"Just…nevermind. From now on, I'll refrain from using any type of saying."

"Oh, wait--Muggles don't have Quidditch, do they?" James said, looking rather awestruck.

"Er…no. I think if you introduced merely the concept of being able to fly on a broomstick they'd ship you off to a mental institution."

"How do you _LIVE _without Quidditch? It's the best sport in the world!!!" James practically shouted, and then launched into a discussion of all his favorite teams, and who was the best in the league. Lily actually found herself mildly interested.

"…and the World Cup's going to be in Italy next summer! You've got to come and see it with me, it's going to be absolutely amazing, and you'd have such a great time," He finished excitedly, and Lily felt herself smile as she thought about going to the World Cup with James. Before she could reply, Sirius, Anna, and Remus all descended upon the two, squeezing into the booth.

"How rude! Lily and James are sitting here, having a lovely time, and they didn't even invite us," Sirius said, sitting down beside James, who scooted over to make room for Remus, who sat next to Sirius.

"Well, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting you tagging along," Anna said sarcastically, sitting beside Lily, who also moved over so Peter could have some room when he came back with everyone's drinks.

Because of all the shifting and making room, Lily and James ended up sitting considerably closer together than they had been before. As everyone else started talking energetically about everything they'd purchased at Zonko's, Lily rested her head on James' shoulder. Oddly enough, not Sirius, Remus, or Peter looked at the two with any type of surprise. Lily didn't know what was going on--until she caught Anna's eye. Anna smiled at her, before returning to the conversation.

Things had always been very easy between Anna & Lily--they always seemed to know what the other was thinking. And it was no exception in this occurrence, because Lily knew that Anna had saved her from a lot of discomfort & awkwardness by informing Sirius, Remus, and Peter beforehand. She made a mental note to thank Anna for things a lot more, and to buy her a huge gift next time she was in Hogsmeade.

As the six of them sat there, Lily felt a real feeling of friendship and togetherness with all of them for the first time. She realized that it was a pretty nice feeling after all, and she could probably get used to it for a very long time.

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Author's Note: Yay! Finally a chapter without a cliffhanger! And it's happy! I'm not even going to tempt you with hints of what's coming next, because if I do you'll probably die in the time I'm gone. Even though I'm leaving, I would still love it if you reviewed, and didn't forget about me in the next while. So, mon amis, au revoir for now, and I will see you when I return!


	11. Chapter Eleven

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Author's Note: Oh dear…I'm terribly sorry. I know I told you this would be up around July 10th…I really hope you're still interested in reading it. It's just that when I got back on July 3rd, I was having a horrible time figuring out what to put in the second half of this chapter. Then, finally, when I figured it out--and, just by the way, it's not exactly the most _interesting _chapter in the whole story--anyway, when I figured out what to write, it was already the 10th, and my brother would not get off the computer for anything! It was like midnight when he did, and I was exhausted, so, I gave up. Then we went to Colorado for four days and visited old friends (I used to live there), and we just got back pretty much a day ago. So, I'm awfully sorry to you all, it wasn't very nice to keep you waiting. But, it's here now, and I hope you're all having a good summer!

**Lady Riddle:** Thanks, I'm really glad you like it. And I'm sorry it wasn't July 10th, but, you know, one thing and another…

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Windowseat Wonderer: Thanks, I did have a good time, and, thanks, I'm glad you liked the chapter!

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Lady of Masbolle: You really liked it that much? To be honest with you (and not to sound egotistical), I think that was _my _favorite chapter of the whole story so far. Thanks!

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Chapter Eleven

The month of November seemed to slip away just as quickly as it had come upon Hogwarts. One more Quidditch match took place within the month; Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw, and it now seemed that Gryffindor would have an excellent chance at the Quidditch cup yet again.

More and more students were flocking towards the library and common rooms to study at night, now that the teachers were becoming ever more persistent about O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. An extremely stressful feeling had set into the castle, and no one could escape it.

Voldemort was continuing on as before, and nearly every day another story about he and his followers was splashed across the front page of the _Daily Prophet._ The teachers could be seen whispering at the staff table and cringing every time they caught sight of a newspaper. Small groups of students huddled together over the _Prophet_ every morning--Lily, James, Sirius, Anna, and Remus were among them (Peter was constantly oversleeping lately).

An array of odd rumors about Voldemort had been printed in the pages of the _Daily Prophet,_ yet even more ludicrous things had been printed in _The Quibbler_.

"This is ridiculous," Anna said one morning, as a few Hufflepuffs pored through the pages of the Quibbler, "The most unreliable news source in the Wizarding community is what over half of everyone in this castle pays attention to."

It was hard not to agree with her, but what the Quibbler lacked in credibility it surely made up for in the power of suggestion. A small, unbelievable piece appeared in an issue, stating: _"Saying A Name Gave Me Bad Luck--And Got My Brother Killed!"_ It detailed the story of a country woman whose brother was murdered by Voldemort, supposedly because she had said Voldemort's name one too many times. The woman's final word was, "I'm never saying you-know-who's name again--and everyone else should choose to do so as well!"

It seemed extremely stupid when everyone had first read it, and the Slytherins spent a few days imitating the country woman featured in the article. James had stated that it was the first time he'd ever agreed with the Slytherins on anything. However, a few students followed every word of the Quibbler almost religiously, and took the woman's advice to heart. It started a chain reaction--a week later, Voldemort's name had been replaced in every conversation with the words "You-Know-Who". Of course, the students of Hogwarts weren't the only people who'd followed this trend. Barely a few days later, an article in the _Daily Prophet_ reported that a state of fear had settled into the Wizarding world--and everyone was using the term "You-Know-Who."

And then there was the whole matter of Lily and James' now widely known relationship.

Despite the fact that the two of them had been absolutely thrilled at being together as much as they pleased now, it _was _hard not to notice the gaping stares that followed them in the first few days. Some were worse than others, and the Slytherins seemed to be having the time of their life making fun of the two of them--more specifically, making fun of Lily. She'd had to use every ounce of her strength to hold James back when Bellatrix Black had told James that he should be ashamed for associating with Mudbloods. Finally, Sirius (of all people) had managed to talk some sense into James. Lily, who'd grown used to this game of name-calling over six years, knew that they'd stop eventually. And she was right, for nearly a week later, nobody even mentioned anything about the two of them.

Anna had gotten rather irritated with Lily lately, exclaiming that all she ever talked about was how wonderful James was.

"Everyone has faults, just to let you know, so it's highly impossible that he's perfect!" Anna had said one night before they went to bed.

"You're too skeptical," Lily had said simply.

"Have you gotten in a fight with him yet?" Anna had asked, and Lily had replied no. "Well, then, once you've gotten in a fight with him, you tell me exactly how perfect he is."

While James had not been quite so obvious in his exuberance lately, it was hard not to be able to tell it anyway. Sirius and Peter teased him quite often about the whole thing (until Sirius had gotten tired of Peter repeating his every word and told him to shut up). Sirius, however, was still relentless, until Remus pointed out that he was being a hypocrite.

"Moony, I know I'm great, but you don't have to compliment me quite so often," Sirius had remarked.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Remus had asked, clearly puzzled.

"Well, first I'm procrastinate, now I'm a hypocrite!"

"I'm getting you a dictionary for Christmas."

So when December came along, bringing with it several things (another Hogsmeade trip and winter holidays), everyone was very much relieved.

Lily and James were sitting in the library, studying--well, at least sort of studying. As much as they both tried to concentrate, their conversations seemed to always go off subject, and, secretly, James was glad of it. He was having a terrible time with his Charms lately, and he was beginning to feel like his brain was going to explode.

"Are you going home for the holidays?" Lily asked suddenly, looking up from her book. James shrugged; he hadn't really given it much thought until this point. His parents had, however, sent a letter home asking if he would please come home to be with them during Christmas.

"I dunno," He said, throwing his quill down, "I've always stayed here during the holidays before. My parents want me to, and I kinda feel like I should…I mean, with everything happening lately."

"Oh, okay," Lily said.

James had come to learn a lot about Lily Evans in six years, and he definitely knew that she didn't end conversations that quickly--unless, of course, she was hiding something.

"What about you? Feel like getting away from the Slytherins?" James asked, and Lily looked mildly surprised.

"Er…well…" She stammered, "Listen, James, I don't want this to affect your choice, all right? Because I can handle myself for two weeks. But…well…I'd rather deal with the Slytherins than my older sister and her boyfriend."

"So…let me get this straight…you're staying?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Then so am I."

"James! Didn't you listen to what I just said? I told you, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay just because I am! You _should _go home, your parents want to see you!" Lily said.

"Well…don't you _want _me to stay?" James had asked; trying (and failing) not to sound disheartened. Lily sighed, smiling slightly.

"It's not as if I want to send you off because I'm sick of you," She said, "It'd be great if we could be together. But you can't disregard your family just because of me. They love you just as much as I…er…I mean, they love you and deserve to see you."

James smirked a little bit as he saw her cheeks flush slightly.

"Okay, well, I'll make you a deal," He said, "I'll spend one week at my house with my parents, then I'll come back here and spend the second week at Hogwarts."

"Sounds good to me," Lily said, looking absolutely gleeful.

"Jeez, you don't know how hard it is to be me," James said, "Everybody wants a piece of my fabulous self, and there's only so much to go around."

"Oh, _please_," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't deny it, Lily, darling," He said, "Even you've got absolutely mad with passion for me."

"Why don't you finish studying your Charms," Lily said calmly.

"I was born with natural charms, I don't need any of that stuff," James said.

"Well, it'll be useful to know how to get rid of a Silencing Charm."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm going to put one on you if you don't shut up about how great you are."

"Ah. Good point."

When James returned to his dormitory, he found Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sitting on their four-poster beds. They all looked slightly troubled; and Sirius was reading a letter with disgust.

"What's got all of you looking so down?" James asked them, sitting down on his bed as well. Sirius finished reading his letter, crumpled it up and threw it on the ground

"That's what's got _me _mad," He said, "As if they think I'd _want _to come home…the idiots…"

"Family problems?" James asked.

"Was there ever a time when there _weren't _family problems?" Sirius said unhappily, "They just wrote to remind me that I'm not welcome in their house at any time, so I'm not allowed home for the winter holidays."

"So…you're staying here?" James asked, knowing what the answer was, and feeling slightly guilty about it. He was about to go home and see his parents, who had practically begged for him to come--and now Lily _and _Sirius were staying.

"Absolutely," Sirius said, "I'm not going near that house for the rest of my _life._"

"Well, at least I'll have some company then," Remus said, speaking for the first time, "My parents are trying to get me to stay--not quite as bluntly as your parents did, but they're being all encouraging. They keep saying I should use the time to study, be with my friends, and really appreciate my last year here. What they _really _mean is that it's too much trouble to have me home--you know, I'm not 'safe' to be around--especially since there' a full moon over holidays."

"Oh," James said, feeling even worse now.

"I'm staying too," Peter said miserably, "I can't stand two weeks of constant nagging from my mum--she'll drive me insane. Plus, I need all the studying time I can get."

James, running out of things to say, simply kept his mouth shut this time. He had a horrible feeling of guilt in his stomach, since he was leaving behind all of his friends--not even because he had to, simply because he could.

"Er…I forgot something in the library," James said, getting up and pulling the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk, "I'll be back."

James hadn't forgotten anything in the library, really, he just didn't know what he'd have done if they'd asked him whether he was staying or not. He sat under the invisibility cloak for a very long time, even after Madam Pince extinguished all the lanterns and left. Finally, he returned back upstairs, after he was sure that all of his friends were asleep.

The last week before winter holidays was filled with more schoolwork than any of the seventh years had ever seen. The library was filled with people every day; all looking over-tired and slightly frustrated. The few free moments that anyone got were certainly not taken for granted. It was one of those rare times that James had promised to take Lily down to the kitchens. As they approached the entrance hall, they heard people talking, and could tell that one of these people was Dumbledore.

And, indeed, as they reached the top of the stairs, they saw him standing with two other men. One of them was a good foot-and-a-half shorter than he was (at least), with slightly gray hair. He had just taken off his bowler hat, it seemed, and his face was slightly tense, and he spoke very quickly.

The other man, however, was nearly as tall as Dumbledore. He wore all black robes, and had long, blonde hair--so blonde it looked almost white. He was looking very superior and foreboding, yet the way he looked around the entrance hall and at Dumbledore made him look lazy, and almost bored. Though Lily knew neither of these people, James recognized both of them, as his parents worked in the Ministry themselves. However, before he could say anything to her, Professor Dumbledore caught sight of them and waved merrily, obviously wanting to speak to them.

"Hello, James, Lily," Dumbledore said as they reached him, "No studying tonight?" James and Lily, not really knowing what response would be proper in this instance, since they did indeed have studying to do, decided it would be better to just stay quiet.

"Well, I'll take that as a no, I suppose," He said. The short man cleared his throat rather impatiently at Dumbledore's right.

"Ah, yes, yes," Dumbledore continued, "Excuse me, Cornelius--these two are our Head Boy and Girl. This is Lily Evans--" The short man reached out to shake her hand and mumble a greeting, while the taller one inclined his head in an extremely condescending way, "And James Potter," Dumbledore finished. Obviously, the two men knew James just as he knew them--for the shorter man shook James' hand rather enthusiastically, and the taller one, while still looking extremely evil, studied James for a very long time indeed.

Dumbledore went on to introduce the two men--Cornelius Fudge, Head of Magical Law Enforcement (he was the shorter, slightly flustered one), and Lucius Malfoy, who seemed to be nothing more than an extremely wealthy wizard that was in the ministry's good graces. Not only did they learn their names, but they also found that they were visiting Hogwarts to talk about putting extra security on the castle, because of the recent attacks by Voldemort.

Of course, observing politeness, Fudge asked how James' parents were--and Malfoy spoke for the first time.

"Your parents worked as Aurors for a long period of time, did they not, Mr. Potter?" He asked, and James replied yes--although they had just recently quit.

"Dangerous business, being an Auror," Fudge had interjected, shaking his head, "Especially now. Your parents were lucky to get out before all this dreadful business with…well, You-Know-Who."

James and Lily probably would have both laughed out loud at this, if they had been talking to someone else--after all, how could the Head of Magical Law Enforcement be afraid to say someone's name?

"Yes, dangerous indeed," Malfoy drawled, "Even when you get out of the line of work, there are always risks involved…always people who want to come after you for revenge…but I'm sure they knew that when they both signed up for the training."

Lily had noticed by this point that Dumbledore was staring in a very suspicious way at Lucius Malfoy, and elbowed James in the ribs as he opened his mouth to reply.

"Ow," He said at first, but somehow got the message, "Well, we've got to be going now, I suppose. You must have some important things to do."

"Yes, yes, indeed," Fudge said hurriedly, and, after bidding farewell to the three men, Lily and James headed off. Neither of them spoke all the way down to the kitchens, until finally Lily spoke, sounding rather exasperated.

"James," She said, "Don't you think that that whole conversation was just a little bit…well…_weird?_"

James, of course, had felt slightly put off by Lucius Malfoy's words--it almost seemed like he had been threatening him. Of course, it was hard for anyone that knew the Malfoy family to ignore something like that.

"Well, sort of, but--listen, Lucius Malfoy's always going around like he owns the world, like he's all-powerful. He makes a concerted effort to intimidate everyone he meets," James said, reaching out to tickle the giant pear on the picture in front of him.

James willed himself to believe, that, however menacing Malfoy had _sounded, _there was really nothing behind his words. He told himself that there was nothing to worry about, and tried his hardest to pretend as though the whole thing hadn't happened. Yet, still, as he sat in the kitchens across from Lily (who wasn't in the cheeriest of moods herself), he found that his appetite had very much disappeared--and that a growing sense of suspicion was growing inside of him.

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Author's Note: EURGH! I really did not like this chapter much at all. I had a nearly impossible time figuring out what to write in it, and so most of it turned out just babbling and carrying on about one thing or another. However, it's better than no chapter at all, and I _promise _things will be more interesting next time--and it won't be over a month's wait, either!!! (Oh yes, and please review, you know!)


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Note:** Hello, all! Finally, I've updated within a reasonable amount of time, huh? Anyway, I'm very happy right now, because I realized how many reviews I have--**_75!!_ **That's the most reviews I've ever had on anything! I live off reviews (okay, not really, but sort of), and for some reason only two people reviewed for the last chapter…I think I drove everyone away with my not updating enough. (Sighs) Oh well, I guess that's the breaks sometimes. Karma. Eugh. Anyway, 75 is still a lot, so thank you very much!

**Windowseat Wonderer:** Yes, Malfoy really is horrible. And, sadly, you should be worried, and you'll see why in this chapter. Glad you liked it, even though I didn't, so thanks!

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Lady of Masbolle: Well, I hope it was at least _good_, because I'd be very disappointed in myself if I was writing bad chapters. Yet, I'll admit, I dislike Chapter Eleven very much. It was a product of writer's block and a feeling that I would never get it done if I didn't just write _something._ Anyway, at least you reviewed, which means a lot, so thanks!

Chapter Twelve

Lily sat in her chair during Transfiguration, feeling extremely impatient. It was the last day of classes before winter holidays, and incidentally, it was also the last class of the day. She found herself watching the clock; silently counting down the seconds before the bell would ring. Professor McGonagall was making yet another speech about how crucial N.E.W.T.s would be to the rest of their lives, and normally, Lily would have been listening. But when the speeches began to sound painstakingly repetitive, she often found herself daydreaming about other things (usually James).

When the bell finally did ring, she packed up quicker than she ever had before, and nearly ran out of the classroom. She couldn't figure out _exactly _why she was in such a rush. It was either because she was absolutely starving, and it was dinner, or it was because she knew James was leaving tomorrow, and it was her last day to spend time with him for a whole three days.

Three days. Yes, Lily had decided the liked the sound of that, rather than a week. She had done her very best to disguise the disappointment of him leaving as the holidays approached, but had found it was near impossible. James, of course, persisted that he had shortened his stay by his own choice, and it hadn't had anything to do with her. She had chosen to believe this story, mainly because she hated feeling like she'd ripped him away from being with his family for Christmas.

She headed off to eat dinner, assuming James would be there too (stuffing his face with Sirius, as usual). However, he did not come down to eat dinner in the Great Hall for at least 15 minutes after the rest of them had.

"Where have you been? Did you forget that tonight was supposed to be our 348th official eating contest?" Sirius asked, swallowing an enormous mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Er…yes," James said offhandedly, sitting down and loading his own plate with food, "Sorry, I was packing."

"Are you done then?" Remus asked, and James nodded.

The rest of dinner carried on completely normally, with the exception of Peter missing his bowl and pouring soup into his lap. When everyone was finally done, they headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Sirius challenged Remus to a game of chess, Peter said he had to go check out a book from the library, Anna said she had to go write a letter home. Lily and James sat down in chairs opposite each other in front of the fire.

Neither really knew what to say; for a minute or two, they just kept smiling uncertainly at each other. Then, all of a sudden, Lily laughed.

"What?" James asked, "Is something funny?"

"It's just…if someone had ever told me I was going to be sitting across from James Potter without fighting," Lily replied, "I'd've thought they were absolutely crazy."

"Come on, we didn't _always _used to fight," James said, "At least not every time we spoke to each other."

"Okay, let me rephrase then," Lily said thoughtfully, "If anyone had ever told me I was going to be sitting across from James Potter, thinking about how much I was going to miss him and not wanting him to leave…_then_ I would have thought they were crazy."

"If someone had told me you'd end up being my girlfriend, I would have taken them straight to the hospital wing," James added. They both laughed at this.

They sat there, reminiscing about all the stupid things they'd ever fought about, how absolutely adorable James had looked when Lily had insulted him, and how gorgeous Lily had been when she was mad. Sirius and Remus joined them for a while, mostly making fun of how weird the both of them had been and occasionally making retching noises when Lily & James "got all lovey-dovey", as Sirius said. Eventually, it was just the two of them and a few fifth years sitting in the Common Room. Though neither would say it, they were merely dragging out the time they could spend together as long as they could. Finally, when it was nearing midnight, James looked at his watch.

"Sadly, I think we'd better go to sleep, or the house-elves aren't going to get any cleaning done in here tonight," He said, standing up, "And then they'd probably hold a grudge against me the next time I went down to the kitchens."

"Do you really have to leave tomorrow?" Lily half-asked, half-whined to him as they neared the two staircases.

"Well, I don't really _have to_," James replied, "But I should. My parents might be just a _little _disappointed."

"I suppose so," Lily said, sighing sadly, "I only wish you weren't."

"_Oh,_" James said, laughing, "This coming from the girl who said…what was it…oh yeah, that she _could handle herself_ and _didn't want me to stay just because she was_. I see how it really is now. C'mon, Lils, it's only three days. It'll be over before you know it."

"Don't you dare make fun of me," Lily replied, "Or I might change my mind about missing you so much."

After a very long good-night that consisted of very little talking indeed, they reluctantly went up separate staircases and fell asleep.

On the edges of a city called Little Hangleton, there was a small, decrepit old house that hadn't been inhabited for years. Barely anyone ever noticed the little shack--the only place people ever got interested in was the old Riddle house--and this was why it was the perfect place for someone to carry on something that was secret.

In one of the few rooms in this small building, a man sat in chair. He was completely alone and undisturbed in this room for the moment, and that was exactly the way he liked it. He'd never mixed well with people, even when he had been young--and normal. Now, the only visitors he took were his most loyal followers.

A knock on the door made him start slightly. "What?" He hissed, irritated that anyone would bother him.

"My Lord," A nervous voice said from the other side of the door, "It's Rookwood--you wanted to see me?"

"Come in," The man said, after a pause. He had forgotten altogether that he had even sent for Rookwood. Once he had entered the room, looking rather intimidated, it took him a moment to look up--after all, it wasn't the easiest thing to do, to stare Lord Voldemort right in the face.

"Rookwood," Voldemort murmured, "What news do you have for me? What of Bagman, my accomplices at Hogwarts, and the Potters?"

"M-my Lord," Rookwood stammered, "Bagman is still unaware of his actions. He does not realize who he _truly _passes information to."

"I figured as much," Voldemort said contemptuously, "Ludo Bagman is a meddling fool. You did well in creating a story to keep his questioning mind satisfied. He trusts you now, Rookwood, and I feel we will have nothing to fear from him."

"And…at Hogwarts, my Lord," Rookwood began timidly, "All those you wished to bring into your circle have been asked. All have agreed, and they believe there are others, weak others, who they can persuade to join us as well."

"Who are those who have agreed?" Voldemort said quickly.

"Bellatrix Black--Rodolphus & Sebastian Lestrange--Regulus Black--Severus Snape--Bartemius Crouch, Jr.," Rookwood listed, "Those are all. So far."

"Bellatrix and Regulus agree…but Sirius Black does not…and Bartemius Crouch's son…" Voldemort mused to himself, "Why do they desert their families so quickly?"

"My Lord, Sirius Black turned traitor long ago, Regulus says. He has been removed from their family tapestry, he says, and is in Gryffindor," Rookwood said, and paused before he spoke again, bracing himself, "A-and…they say he has become best friends with James Potter."

"Another Potter," Voldemort hissed violently, "Tell me, Rookwood, can we move to attack on the Potters before Christmas Day?"

"M-my Lord, it is as you wish. I only know that their son, the one I spoke of, is indeed going home during the Hogwarts holidays," Rookwood said. Both men were silent, before Voldemort spoke again.

"Tell me more of this…James Potter. What do you know?"

"He is in his seventh year at Hogwarts, my Lord, and Head Boy. He is on the Quidditch team, and is quite popular with the rest of the school. Those who I spoke to particularly hate him, for many reasons," Rookwood said, "That is all I was told--oh, yes, and he has a girlfriend named Lily Evans."

"Evans…" Voldemort muttered, "Who is she? Who are her parents?"

"She is Muggle-born, my Lord, and Head Girl at Hogwarts. I do not know who her parents are."

"Not that it matters," Voldemort spat, "The scum. Muggles. And a Muggle-born, Head Girl, I do wonder what Ms. Black thinks of that…"

"Should I tell Malfoy to attack on Christmas Day?" Rookwood said. When Voldemort did not reply, he spoke again, "My Lord?"

"No," Voldemort said, an evil grin spreading across his face, "No, Augustus, I think we can do better than just killing the Potters in one day…no, we will see about this James Potter…see how he feels about losing his parents _and _his lovely Mudblood girlfriend…we will see."

"Then there will be no attack?"

"No. Not yet, at least," Voldemort said, "You may go, Rookwood."

Rookwood, looking relieved, moved to the door, but stopped when Voldemort spoke one last time.

"And Rookwood--I'd like you to keep a _very close watch_ on Mr. Potter and his girlfriend."

"You know, if you four don't stop messing around, James is going to miss his train," Anna said. She, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were walking down to the Hogsmeade station. James's train was going to arrive in five minutes, but by the looks of it, it seemed like they would take another hour to reach the train.

James and Sirius had brought some very small Dr. Filibuster's firecrackers down to the train, and Sirius had set on off right beside Peter's ear. His hair had gotten singed, and everyone had stopped as he ran around screaming and hollering that he had gone deaf. Finally, after the four boys had assessed that Peter was **not **deaf (Sirius yelled very loud in his ear), they had continued. However, after only a few minutes, James had set off another firecracker, this time right in Sirius's ear. Sirius had tackled James at this, and it had taken them another ten minutes to settle the whole thing. Lily and Anna had taken away every firecracker they had (or so they thought), but, soon enough, they were attempting to set another one off, though everyone was paying attention by now, and it was impossible to catch anyone off-guard.

"Oh, come on, we've got way enough time," Sirius exaggerated dramatically, ducking as Peter tried to throw the firecracker right at the side of his head.

"Well, fine by me, if James wants to miss his train and waste his money on a ticket, disappoint his parents, and have to sit at a bloody train station for six hours before there's another train, because I'm sure not staying with him!" Anna snapped.

"Yes, and I suppose after all that's over with, I'll just drop dead and _die_," James said sarcastically, "Honestly, Anna, could you be any more pessimistic?"

"Yeah, James just wants to miss his train because he can't stand being away from his Lilykins for five minutes!" Sirius said, and yelled in pain as James pushed him on the ground.

"Am not," James protested, "But if someone would stop trying to--Remus, don't even come near me with that thing--hit me with a firecracker, I'd be able to move a lot faster."

Finally, they made it to the train, amazingly on time (mainly because the last of the firecrackers had exploded already). James had a few minutes before the train would arrive, and he turned to say goodbye to everyone. Avoiding any type of awkwardness, he merely joked around with his friends and said "See you later," quite a few times. He gave Anna a very quick hug before turning to Lily.

"So," He said, "I guess I'll see you in three days, then."

"Is that the only goodbye I'm going to get, then?" Lily asked.

"Don't be stupid, of course not," James said, and hugged her very tightly indeed.

"You'd better be back soon," Lily said unhappily, "I don't like this whole leaving ordeal."

"Sooner than you'll even believe, I promise," James said, just as the train whistled, signalling that it was about to leave. "Lily, I--" James said, and paused.

"You what?" She said.

"I…nevermind. I'll see you soon, okay?," James said finally, and kissed her goodbye. He waved goodbye to everyone and got on the train, before it pulled out of the station.

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Author's Note: Aha! There! I have done it! I updated within a realistic amount of time! I kept putting it off, before I finally realized that I was just procrastinating horribly. So then I finally finished it!!! Yay!

So…how do you like that little Voldemort part in there? I know it was kind of random, but, here's the thing: I wouldn't put it in unless I thought it was necessary, and, well, he's kind of a big part in the story right now, even though I've downplayed that whole aspect like crazy. Anyway, it's a little scary, isn't it?

So, I'll hopefully be able to keep updating pretty regularly. And, **_by the way, _**I know there are 21 people out there who have me on Author Alert…so how come I only got two reviews for my last chapter? I'm begging you, if you have me on author alert, please review my chapters. I love reviews, good or bad.

Feel free to comment on anything in the story in your reviews. I.E. discuss anything that was said in the Voldemort part of this, ask me questions about what might be coming next (though I won't answer all of them), or give me ideas.

Thank you to the five people who have me on their favorites list:

**fire-angel-the-HP-fan ArRoWcLaW Miska Sk8erGal Midnight Stars**

REVIEW!!!! :) (:


	13. Chapter Thirteen

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**Author's Note:** Another update, once again slightly later than I had planned. And the worst part? Summer's over! No!!! Argh…I started school last two Mondays ago, and I already hate it.

There are too many people at my school. There's like 2200 people there!! Too MANY! Plus almost all of them are older than I am…I'm just a lowly 10th grader L. Plus, homework has started coming…and it sucks. Anyway, I'll try and keep up with updating as much as I can.

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**Lady of Masbolle:** Yes, I liked that chapter a lot more than any of the others, and I'm glad you liked it too! Thanks!

**koalacancan:** Glad you liked it! Oh, sorry about the confusion thing…it seems I confused myself on that part. I had initially planned to interject an A/N in there, but erased it (I just hate it when people put A/Ns in the middle of the stories…so I just couldn't bring myself to do it). Then, after I had erased the A/N part, I forgot to put dashes altogether! Ooops! Anyway, as for the POV…there isn't one. I tried writing from POVs, and I found it extremely hard to do with two people (especially 'cause I'm not a guy and don't know quite how they think!). So all of the story is told from 3rd person, but it jumps back and forth from telling about James' life to Lilys'. So there it is, my explanations!!! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you continue to read!!!

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**Chrissy8887779999:** Glad you liked it, and here's an update! Thanks!

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**Dee Ann:** I'm doing well, thanks! I'm really glad you love the story, and I hope you like this chapter tons! Thanks!

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**Windowseat Wonderer:** I'm so happy that you liked that chapter, it was much better than the previous one, and I must say I really enjoyed writing it. This chapter…hmm…I had to rewrite it so many times, I don't know whether people are going to like it or not. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the Voldemort part, and there will be more to come--not every chapter (i.e. not in this one), but he'll pop up every once in a while. Hope you like this chapter, and thanks!

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**stargazer: **Of course I acknowledged your review, and I'm doing it again! Anyway, I'm sooooooooo happy you're enjoying reading my story!! And yes, Sirius is great--he's one of the great parts of writing a Lily/James story. Anyway, thanks & I hope you like this chapter! (Oh, and by the way, that's majorly cool that you think this story's funny! I never considered myself being funny!)

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**moonlizard: **Thanks so much!

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**MidnightStars:** Okay, I updated, so hopefully I'm still on your favorites list, even if it was a late update. Anyway, thanks! ****

Chapter Thirteen

James arrived home after only a couple hours on the train, and quickly apparated to his home. His parents greeted them as though they hadn't seen him in a decade, and James found himself very glad that he had come home. It only took a few minutes before they were sitting in the living room, asking him about everything and anything that had happened this year.

"How have you been doing in your studies, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked, positively ecstatic that her only son was home.

"Good," James replied, thinking about other things. Would they ask him if he had a girlfriend? And, if so, should he tell them?

"Well, that's good, then. You'll never get a good job otherwise," Mr. Potter said, though James had heard him say this hundreds of times before.

"How has it been, being Head Boy?" Mrs. Potter asked. James shrugged--it hadn't exactly been bad, nor had it been great. The only good thing that had come out of it was spending more time with Lily.

"Er…fine. I just patrol the corridors and that stuff," James said.

"You never did tell us, dear, who's Head Girl?" Mrs. Potter questioned again. James hesitated for a moment. Due to the fact that Sirius had spent quite a bit of time in the Potter household, his parents knew some things about Lily--most particularly the fact that James liked her a lot.

"Oh, um," James began, "It was…er…Lily Evans."

"Is this the girl Sirius told us so much about?" Mr. Potter asked slyly, "The one who…er…didn't like you very much?"

"Yes, that would be her," James replied, flushing slightly.

"That's nice," Mrs. Potter said brightly.

A very awkward silence followed. James's parents exchanged a glance for a moment, before turning back and staring at James, Mrs. Potter still smiling kindly. It eventually became apparent that they were waiting for James to speak next, though he didn't have an inkling of how to carry on the conversation. Finally, his mother broke the silence.

"Well…it sounds like you're doing fine, at any rate," She said, slightly half-hearted, "How are your friends?"

"Good," James said, glad to be off the subject of Lily.

"Speaking of friends," Mrs. Potter interjected, "You make sure to remind Sirius he's still got a few things here, and he'd better come pick them up at the end of the year. _I'm _most certainly not keeping them."

This sort of small talk continued for a few more minutes, and James told them nearly everything else that had happened this year, carefully avoiding the subject of girls in general. Eventually, his mother went to go start making dinner; his father said he had to go reply to a letter from the Ministry; and James retreated to his room.

---

Lily and Anna were sitting on their beds in their dormitory, trying to escape from the havoc that Sirius, Remus, and Peter were creating. Not only had they enchanted a dozen snowballs to whack into the back of Snape's head during lunch, they had taken to making them fly and hit anyone they came across. After Professor McGonagall had given them each a detention and told them snowballs were "for outdoors only", they had taken her advice and gone outside. However, instead of throwing snowballs at people outside or at each other, they were enchanting them to hit windows---most specifically, any window that was close to Lily and Anna. So far, they had managed to drive them out of the Library and Common Room.

"I think they gave up, they're pelting them at a bunch of second years," Anna said, getting up and looking out the window, "Finally."

"Yeah," Lily said distractedly, "What do you think I should get James for Christmas?"

Anna goggled at her. "Is that _all _you've been thinking about," She asked, "While we were getting snowballs shot like bullets at us?"

"No," Lily lied indignantly, "Okay…yes, mostly. Except for when they almost broke the window in the library, because then I wondered whether James would still like me if I got horribly scarred from shards of glass."

"You are the worst," Anna said, "First of all, you need to start thinking about something else, because the world does not revolve around James--though, I'm sure if he had it his way, it would-- and second of all, I don't think he could help himself from liking you even if you didn't have any arms or legs."

"All right, all right, you don't have to be so touchy," Lily replied, "But back to the point--what am I supposed to get him? I can't think of anything he'd like…I mean, something he'd really like."

"Well, it's not that hard, when you think about it," Anna said logically, "Anything to do with trouble-making or Quidditch should do the trick, I'd guess."

"Since when did you get to be such an expert on buying gifts for boys?" Lily asked her.

"Well, just because you weren't friends with the four of them doesn't mean I wasn't," Anna said complacently.

"Are…you…by the four of them, you mean James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter?" Lily sputtered.

"Do you know another 'four of them'?" Anna asked.

"You've been buying them Christmas presents for six years?" Lily asked, "And you never even told me?"

"Wrong," Anna replied, "You never asked or noticed. And, it hasn't been six years, more like four."

"Oh, I…I can't believe you…" Lily said, feeling slightly angry.

"Well, it's going to help you now, isn't it? You need help buying James a Christmas present, and you've got a veritable expert on that right across from you!" Anna said, getting up from her bed and opening her trunk, "Anyone for Hogsmeade?"

As much as Lily had been shocked by Anna's recent confession, the lure of finding a proper Christmas present for James was too much to resist, and, so, the two of them set out towards Hogsmeade.

It turned out to be much more of an ordeal than they had thought. Since Lily was Head Girl, she could easily persuade teachers to allow them to go to Hogsmeade--which meant that they didn't have to sneak in, like everyone else. However, Professor McGonagall was skeptical about letting them, reasoning that there was a trip to Hogsmeade in three days. After ten minutes of Lily & Anna begging her to let them go, she obliged, and they set off on the path to Hogsmeade.

Unfortunately, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, weren't ones to miss opportunities. They noticed Lily and Anna, and, since they hadn't managed to hit them with enough snowballs before, they took full advantage. The two girls were nearly buried in snowballs before finally sending a few well-aimed jinxes at their attackers. Brushing snow off themselves, they finally made it into Hogsmeade.

Yet the trouble didn't stop there. They looked in every corner of every store in Hogsmeade, and couldn't fin anything sufficient. Anna protested that Lily's standards were too high, and that James would probably settle for an Acid Pop as long as it were from her. Lily told her she obviously didn't know how important this was, and that James was probably thinking up some amazing gift for her, and she couldn't give him anything less than perfect. This sort of arguing continued nearly the whole time they were shopping.

"Well, I give up, how about you?" Anna said as they exited nearly their twentieth store.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lily said, sighing, "I guess I'm going to have to go with Plan B."

"Plan B? There was a Plan B? Did we ever even _have _a Plan A?" Anna said. She looked extremely frustrated that they had spent the whole day looking for a gift when Lily had already had one in mind.

"Plan A was to find something in one of these stores," Lily said, sounding a little disappointed, "Because Plan B is slightly risky, given who I'm buying for."

"Well, at least you know what to get him, so, problem solved!" Anna said brightly, "Let's go back to the school, I'm freezing."

Lily, however, knew the details of Plan B--and she had a feeling that her problems weren't exactly as solved as she'd like them to be.

---

The next couple of days went by very quickly indeed. James, unlike Lily, was sure he would not have any trouble finding her a Christmas present. He had even gotten up the courage to tell his parents that he had a girlfriend, and something told him that they had known all along. Indeed, they had revealed that they had known for at least a month, due to the fact that they sent letters to Professor Dumbledore quite frequently. James made a mental note never to do anything in front of Dumbledore he wouldn't want his parents to find out about.

All in all, he was enjoying his time at home quite a bit. He spent the first day walking around his house, which (though still very large) seemed much smaller to him than it had before. However, on the second day, reality started settling in, and he had to begin putting together his Christmas gift for Lily. Therefore, he retreated to his room and did not come out until he was finished several hours later.

After waking up the next day, he had to pack very quickly, because he'd been lazy last night and hadn't done it. As he threw everything into his trunk, his mother called up several times to tell him he was going to be late. Finally, about half an hour before his train would leave, he was packed and ready to go.

Instead of apparating by himself this time, his parents accompanied him to the train station to say goodbye. His mother kissed him on the cheek several times, looking very sad at the thought of James leaving. When the train finally got there, they said their final farewells.

The train ride back seemed to take much longer than the ride there had. It was probably because James was getting a little anxious about getting back to school and seeing all his friends. Even when the woman who pushed the food cart told him it would be about twenty more minutes, it seemed he had never waited a longer twenty minutes in his life. Finally the train arrived at Hogsmeade station, and James had to fight the urge to run all the way back to Hogwarts and into Gryffindor Tower.

He walked up the road towards Hogwarts, looking around at the newly fallen snow and the other people who walked by. The sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains, and was casting an orange glow on the grounds. Just as he rounded the corner where he would be able to fully see Hogwarts, a large amount of snow hit him in the side of the head.

"HA! Thought we didn't see you coming?" Someone yelled, and James, wiping snow off his face, saw that it was Sirius.

"No, actually, I didn't actually know that you were out here," James replied, "But thank you for the warm welcome back."

"Have a good time with mommy and daddy?" Sirius said, picking up snow and packing it together to make a new snowball. Remus and Peter stood a ways behind him, still having a snowball fight of their own. They both waved to him.

"Fine, yes, and if you throw that snowball at me I'll curse you into the next dimension," James said.

"Nah, don't worry, it's for Peter. He hit me smack in the face earlier today and I've been waiting to get him back," Sirius said.

"Well, unfortunately, I'm not exactly dressed for a snowball fight, so I'm going to go up to the Common Room," James said.

"Yeah, yeah, nice excuse," Sirius said, "But just so you know, I haven't seen Lily all day."

James trudged through the snow up towards the great oak doors of the castle, and entered them only to find pandemonium. At least three enormous pine trees were laying on the floor of the entrance hall, along with hundreds of strands of garland and boughs of holly. Nearly a whole mountain range of tinsel had been created at the foot of the stairs, and shards of glass icicles lay all over the floor. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were standing in the middle of it all, both looking extremely upset.

"Er…if you don't mind me asking," James said to the two of them, stepping gingerly around the broken glass and tree branches, "What happened here?"

"Precisely what I want to know," Professor McGonagall snapped, her face extremely red. Professor Flitwick looked like he was at a loss for words.

"Well…you see, Hagrid was bringing in the trees, and then--" Professor Flitwick began explaining, but was interrupted by Peeves zooming into the room and soaring up above their heads, followed closely by a group of students.

"Professor Flitwick, we almost had him in the Charms department, but he only got away from us," One of them said, a girl with brown hair.

"But at least we stopped him from demolishing it _entirely_," Another replied, this time a boy with blond hair.

A long silence followed this, in which Peeves continued to swoop around all of their heads. James recognized the group of students as being Prefects, and also noticed that Professor McGonagall's face was becoming extremely red.

"Peeves," Professor McGonagall said calmly, obviously trying to contain herself, "If you don't leave right now, I'm going to have to call the Headmaster."

"Headmaster can't stop me," Peeves cackled, and he continued to fly around in the air above them, before resuming the destruction of the Entrance Hall. He now began pulling every tapestry and painting of the walls and letting them crash to the ground. Several girls in the group of prefects screamed shrilly and ran out of the room.

"Potter!" Professor McGonagall shouted over the noise, "Will you _do _something!?!?!"

"Like what?" James yelled back to her, dodging a portrait of an old man.

"Go get Professor Dumbledore!" She said, just as Peeves picked up several Christmas ornaments and started throwing them at the walls, "And tell him to hurry!"

James, who was glad for any reason to escape the chaos Peeves was creating, sprinted up the staircase, dodging ornaments all the way.

---

Lily was making her way up to Gryffindor Tower when she heard the first crash, which was followed by several more loud bangs and thumps. After wondering for a moment whether she really wanted to know what was going on, she began to follow in the direction the noise was coming from. She realized that she was heading in the direction of the Entrance Hall, and with every step the crashes and bangs got louder. Finally, when she had nearly reached the entrance to the Great Hall, someone came running into the corridor up ahead of her, obviously dodging Christmas ornaments, which were flying into the hall and smashing against the wall. Whoever it was (it was quite dark in the corridor, and Lily couldn't exactly tell) now had turned and started down the corridor towards her.

"Hi, Lily," They said as the walked by, and Lily (still bewildered by who was throwing Christmas ornaments and _why _they were throwing them) didn't pay much attention to them.

"Oh, yes, hello," Lily said, and took a few tentative steps forward, not wanting to become the ornament-thrower's new target. All of a sudden, she snapped back to reality and realized who had just walked by and said hello to her. "James!" She called after him, almost laughing at how they'd both passed each other by. He then turned and faced her, and he seemed to have realized what had just happened as well. They hugged each other and laughed about how stupid the both of them were.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you again," James said to her, taking her hand in his.

"Yes, so glad you would have ran right by me without even noticing," Lily said sarcastically. James laughed and looked her straight in the eyes before leaning in to kiss her, and at that moment a resounding shattering noise echoed through all of the halls.

"Oh, damn," James muttered, "I forgot…listen, I'm sorry about this, but I've got to get Dumbledore, Peeves is destroying the Entrance Hall."

"Right," Lily said. _Typical timing,_ She thought to herself, sighing.

"Oh yeah, and I wouldn't go in there if you value your health," He said as he walked away.

"I won't," Lily replied.

"And we're going to finish this later!" James said as a parting shot before he disappeared around the corner.

Lily smiled as she began walking back up to Gryffindor Tower, extremely glad that James was back.

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**Author's Note:** YAAY! I'm done finally! I had to rewrite this chapter so many times, but I like the end result better than it would have been with another ending. Anyway, yes, I'm horrible at updating regularly, but I _am _in school now, so you'll have to cut me some slack…hopefully you keep reading and reviewing. And, hey, at least it was a nice looooong chapter, right? So you'd better get your mouse moving towards that little "Submit Review" box if you want another one! (Kidding, of course I'm going to keep writing anyway, but I just like to scare you sometimes…)


	14. Chapter Fourteen

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**Author's Note:** Oh good heavens. I think this is the longest it's ever taken me to update. I'm so, so, so, so, sorry. The explanation is at the end, but for now I'll just let you read.

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**Windowseat Wonderer:** Thanks! Yeah, I really want Christmas to come soon!! Even though I never have snowball fights because I live in California, and it's really hot down here. And the gifts suspense will be revealed in this chapter!

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**dishantpandya: **Glad you like it, and I'll try to hurry! Thanks!

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**Lady of Masbolle:** Thanks so much! I hope my writing keeps getting better!

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**hgvfiygouih: **Um…okay. That was a pretty useless review. I think there's actually been a lot of debate about whether James was a Seeker or a Chaser, and I don't know which one it is. I even read Philosopher's Stone last week and specifically looked for if it said that and it didn't. And I'm so sorry that I made one little tiny mistake--I'll make sure to do better next time just so an idiot like you can be completely happy with my story. Next time don't waste my time by writing such a stupid review.

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**Midnight Stars:** What a coincidence…I'm in 10th grade too! And I read your bio, and you know what's even weirder? I live in California too! Whoa, talk about crazy, huh? And yeah, school is kind of killing me too, but I haven't been getting lots of homework for some reason. I'm sure it'll start coming soon though…eurgh. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

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Chapter Fourteen

There was a definite air of holiday cheer in the castle the next morning, for several different reasons. The first was that the mess with Peeves had been sorted out very quickly when Dumbledore had arrived on the scene. Someone had finished the decorating overnight, and it was certainly the most remarkable decorating that Lily had seen in seven years of being at Hogwarts.

Secondly, it was snowing rather merrily outside when everyone woke up. The grounds and forest looked like something on a Christmas card. Though this did mean it would be freezing outside, Sirius remarked that it was perfect snowball weather--though he wasn't too eager to go snowball fighting again.

The reason for this was (along with being one of the reasons that James, Lily, and Anna were so happy when they woke up) that someone had finally repaid Sirius, Remus, and Peter for their antics on the grounds yesterday--and they had paid dearly. Several Ravenclaw fifth years, sick and tired of being covered in mountains of snow every time they went outside, had performed a rather clever bit of magic and had engulfed the three Gryffindor boys in something of an avalanche. They had returned to the Common Room last night sopping wet and, as Sirius put it, "Freezing their bloody arses off."

So, all in all, everyone was very happy that Christmas was coming. However, everyone suspected that James and Lily's happiness had less to do with the regular reasons than with pure glee that they were together again. After the "Peeves Incident" as McGonagall was calling it, they had both been asked to patrol the corridors and make sure that nothing else went wrong. Truthfully, neither one would have known if anything was going on in the castle, because every time they tried to pay attention and patrol properly, they ended up getting distracted. In fact, they got so sidetracked that they ended up "patrolling" a half an hour too long--something Sirius noticed immediately and had teased them incessantly about for the rest of the night.

However, even though everything seemed blissfully perfect inside Hogwarts, everyone knew that things were not going very well outside the castle walls. It was nearly deserted in Hogwarts, mainly because students had gone home to be with their families. Most large Christmas parties & celebrations had been called off; they were decided to be too much of a target for Voldemort and his supporters.

But it really was very hard to pay attention to all that bad stuff when Christmas was coming, you were around all of your friends, and there was no homework at all.

---

"Okay, okay, will everyone please quiet down? This is kind of important!" Lily yelled over a crowd of the Prefects. Dumbledore had asked her and James to call a meeting in light of the destruction Peeves had caused, and it had been difficult to round up the Prefects that had remained at Hogwarts. However, it was proving to be even harder to quiet them down, especially because it was Christmas Eve.

"Oi, what are you playing at, calling a meeting over the holidays? That's not fair!" One of the Prefects yelled as everyone had begun to quiet down.

"Who are _you_?" James asked rather aggressively. The boy who had yelled flushed slightly.

"William Smith, and I resent the--" The boy began.

"Whatever," James interrupted, "We've got a meeting to finish, and we haven't got time to listen to all of your complaints."

"Yes, that's right," Lily said, "This is just mainly to talk about the new rules regarding Peeves' trouble-making around the school. Professor Dumbledore wanted to let you know that any and all school rules Peeves breaks from now on are to be reported to any of the Heads of Houses immediately."

"So…are you saying that if he sticks gum on a doorknob…" A short blond girl said.

"You have to report it, as soon as it happens," Lily finished for her.

"That is the _biggest _bloody waste of time I've ever heard of, and you can bet I'm not going to be reporting small infractions of the school rules, after all, it's not as though I've memorized that rule book or--" William Smith began again.

"Yes, well, none of us have memorized the rules either," James said shortly, "But you can just make sure to report all the things that _you_ get stuck writing lines for." William Smith flushed again and mumbled something about "undeserved positions".

"I think that's it, and now you can all go back to your Common Rooms," Lily said brightly, and the group of Prefects all shuffled towards the door. Lily and James waited until they had all left (James eyeing William Smith with a look of disgust) before exiting the room themselves.

They made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. James grumbled the whole time about the prefects being "unbearable little snotrags", and he was in a significantly horrible mood by the time they arrived at the portrait hole. Lily had tried (unsuccessfully) to cheer him up along the way, but nothing had worked. They sat across from each other in the armchairs surrounding the fireplace, at first in silence.

"You know, I just thought of something that would probably make you laugh," Lily said quite suddenly, "Do you remember a few days ago when I told you about how Muggle children believe in someone called Santa Claus?"

"The big fat bloke in the red suit," James said, "Who's supposed to fly through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer? Believe me, that's not something I'm going to forget quickly."

"Well, in any case, Petunia has this boyfriend," Lily continued, "Who is about comparable to Santa Claus in terms of size. And last year at Christmas, I went home, and Petunia's boyfriend came round on Christmas Eve. If it wasn't funny enough that he had started growing this little bit of a mustache, Petunia forced him into this Santa Claus suit because she thought it would be so cute. His face got so red it nearly blended with the suit."

"_Why_ would she do that?" James asked incredulously. Lily shook her head.

"Couldn't tell you. I suppose Petunia has never been exceptionally bright," Lily said, "But I did insist on taking a picture before he got out of it. I'll have to show you it sometime."

"Well, let me warn you that under no circumstances will I be getting into some huge red suit because you think its 'cute'," James said.

"That may be one of the most horriffic mental images I've ever had," Sirius interjected. He, Remus, and Peter had just come down the stairs from the boys' dormitories, "But why are you talking about huge red suits?"

Lily explained the story of her sister and the Santa suit. Sirius automatically asked who was Santa Claus and why he was gallavanting around in bright red trousers.

"I wouldn't exactly describe it as 'gallavanting'," Lily replied, frowning, "But I really don't want to explain it. I can almost predict your reaction exactly." Anna then just walked through the portrait hole, pulling off her scarf.

"Hello, everyone," She said, "It's freezing today, isn't it?"

"Why did you go outside then?" Sirius asked. Anna rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't outside, I was in the Owlery," She replied, "But as its got no glass on the windows to speak of, it's nearly like being outside anyway. I was sending a Christmas card to my parents."

"Oh, how sweet," Sirius said.

"Shove it, arsehead," Anna said sarcastically, "I'm going to change." And she walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"What a sweet-tempered young lady she is," Sirius remarked after she'd left.

"I'm surprised she didn't go home for Christmas," Lily mused, "I spent one Christmas at her house and it was the most fun I'd ever had."

"Obviously you've never been to my house for Christmas, then," James said.

"Oh ha ha, very funny," Lily replied, "Obviously not. Why would I have wanted to go spend Christmas with someone who was the biggest prat I'd ever met?"

"Well, that was only because you were having a cozy Christmas eve with your boyfriend," Sirius said. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"What boyfriend?" Lily asked.

"The giant squid."

And so they spent the rest of Christmas eve laughing and talking amongst themselves, reminiscing on the things they had done in the holiday seasons past.

---

Severus Snape moved as quickly as he could, though it was so dark he felt as though he were blind. It was so cold out that every time he breathed it felt as though someone were stabbing him with a knife.

__

_Really,_ He thought, _It's worth it. It may be freezing and pitch dark outside, but I'll finally be rid of him._

Finally, little twinklings of light appeared in the distance. He knew exactly where the bit of light were coming from, and it made his stomach lurch so much that he had to stop in his tracks.

__

_What's wrong with me? This shouldn't be so hard,_ He thought to himself as he started walking again. He'd done it only a few times before, but he supposed this time he was so nervous because he would be finally meeting Him.

There was no need to ask who He was; for there was no other He who could make Severus' blood run cold, his heart stop beating, and his knees feel weak. And tonight, He had called Severus to see him for the first time.

As the lights in the distance grew closer, he could hear a part of him screaming to turn back, and for the second time, he had to stop and try and collect himself. Thoughts ran through his head--part of him was saying he should turn back; and in truth he knew that what he was doing was wrong in every way. But another part of him protested that this was what he was meant for; what he had been born to do. He couldn't ignore the signs. Why else would he have been put in Slytherin, why else would he have befriended Bellatrix?

Ah…and Bellatrix. Even as he stood in the enveloping darkness and cold, he felt warmer at just the thought of her. Yes, there would always be people who thought she was horrible, that thought she was insane--but not him. To him she was perfection, there would never be any other in the world for him. But then he remembered how Rodolphus had come in and stolen her away, and anger surged up in him. He kept walking.

And it was these mingling thoughts, his anger at Rodolphus, his admiration for Bellatrix, and his fear of what he was about to do that carried him until the lights were but ten feet away. He walked to the door of the disheveled shack before him and knocked seven times.

"Who comes to the door?" A voice hissed from inside.

"Severus Snape," He replied, sounding much braver than he truly felt. There was a pause so long that Severus actually thought that the person was refusing to enter the door, before it creaked open ominously. A long hallway that seemed top big to fit in such a small building was in front of him, and he slowly stepped in.

He was now sure that the inside of the building had been enchanted to be much larger than it looked, and indeed much less destructed. The walls were covered in dark wood paneling, and candelabras made of entwined metal serpents hung on the walls, the glow from them making the hallway look eerie. It was the kind of place that you would normally want to run out of, but the servants of Lord Voldemort knew that once you turned away, there was no chance of coming back…or living for that matter. So Severus walked down the hall towards a door which was slightly ajar, and knocked on it warily when he had reached it.

"Come in, Severus Snape," A voice said from within. Severus did, pushing open the door, and found himself in a dark room with a fireplace and a single chair. He supposed that Voldemort was sitting in the chair, but he felt like his feet had glued him to the ground. "Please, come so I can see you. I do hate talking to people when I cannot see them."

Severus, feeling extremely terrified by now, slowly made his way towards the chair, then around it. But if he had been feeling fear before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Lord Voldemort, while he had expected him to be scary-looking, was possibly one of the most terrifying and intimidating people he had ever laid eyes on.

He was certainly more spider than he was human, or at least he looked it, with his long white fingers and red eyes. It was only now he understood why people were so frightened of Lord Voldemort--it had nothing to do with curses or enchantments, but with the fact that this horrifying form of a person would be the last thing you saw before you died.

"Severus Snape," Voldemort said contemptuously, "So we finally meet." Severus had no idea how to reply, so he merely nodded. "I see you are afraid of me," Voldemort added after a moment, "Aren't you?" Severus really would have liked to reply that he wasn't frightened at all, but he suddenly felt it would be no use to lie to this man.

"Yes, sir," He said, looking at the ground.

"First rule, Severus," Voldemort said icily, "Fear gets you nowhere." Neither one said anything for a few moments. "Do you know what the second rule is?" Voldemort asked, and Severus nodded, "You have nothing and no one to fear if you serve me loyally."

"And how should I best serve you, my Lord?" Snape asked, feeling slightly braver.

"That is what I have brought you here to ask you," Voldemort replied, "I understand that you and James Potter have a considerable amount of hatred for each other."

"Yes," Severus answered, the feeling of hate rising up in him at the mention of Potter.

"Ah, yes," Lord Voldemort said, "Now…I want you to tell me everything you know about James Potter."

---

The next morning felt every bit like Christmas should. It had stopped snowing, but there was a thick blanket of shining, white snow a covering the Hogwarts grounds. Most people woke up earlier than they usually would have on holidays, but that was mainly due to the fact of the many mountains of presents people found at the foot of their beds.

It was no different in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, where everyone was woken up by the shrill whistle of a Sneakoscope.

"Will whoever owns the defective Sneakoscope _please _turn the bloody thing off?" Sirius mumbled sleepily.

"Sirius, you are aware that _you _own the defective Sneakoscope, right?" Remus snapped. He was, of course, right, and Sirius pulled himself out of bed to try and turn it off. Nothing, however, worked, and he ended up throwing it out the window. However, since he was already awake, he immediately started tearing away at the presents left at the foot of his bed. Soon, everyone else had woken up and was following suit.

"Oh, good, I was beginning to run out of these," Sirius said, after opening Anna's gift, which was a box of Dr. Filibuster's fireworks.

They continued going through their stacks of gifts, which included about a ton worth of candy, until there were almost none left. Finally, James reached his last gift, which he assumed was from Lily. It was just an envelope, and he quickly ripped it open, ignoring Sirius ("Ha, no one ever gets good presents that are in envelopes!"), and read the letter inside.

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Dear James,

Since it's the first Christmas I've ever gotten you a gift, I was really confused about what to get you at first. Finally, though, I decided to use what I knew about you to get something that you'd like, and there were two things that are most obvious about you: #1, You've got the greatest friends in the world (most of the time), and #2, You really absolutely love Quidditch and are fabulous at it as well. Anyways, these are for you, Sirius, Remus, and Peter to have a great time.

Happy Christmas from your Adoring Girlfriend,

Lily

James picked the envelope back up and pulled what was left in it out and examined it, before his jaw dropped open.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, "Did she get you something awful?"

"No…" James said, almost laughing, "She's got all four of us tickets to a Quidditch match in the spring…and, blimey, they're tickets for the England league finals!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING?" Sirius yelled, racing across the room and wrenching the tickets out of James' hand. As he read over the tickets, his expression of disbelief turned to complete surprise.

"I take it back," He said firmly, "I guess some people do get good presents that come in envelopes."

---

Lily and Anna were having a much quieter gift-opening; everyone else in the dormitory had left to go visit other people or eat breakfast.

Anna and Lily had had a tradition ever since third year of buying each other charms for their charm bracelets, which they had bought that same year. This year, Anna had given Lily a charm that was in the shape of a heart and was covered in little pink gems ("Because of James," She had said.) Lily had given Anna one that had the letters L and A that were tied together with a little ribbon.

Lily had been deliberately leaving James' present until last, predicting that Anna would leave and she would be able to open it alone. Anna did leave to go visit the boys in their dormitory, and Lily pulled James' present towards her. It consisted of an envelope and a small box, which she suspected had jewelry inside of it. She opened the envelope to find two letters inside.

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Dear Lily,

I'd never believe anyone if they told me I'd be celebrating this years' Christmas with you as my girlfriend. But now I am, and I knew exactly what I had to give you. Just because you never wanted to give me a Christmas gift didn't mean that I didn't think about giving you one--in fact, it didn't mean that I didn't think about you all the time. In fact, the second letter in here was written in fourth year, and it might sound obsessive, but it's really how I felt. Actually, it's how I feel now, and that's why I wanted to let you have it.

And inside the box is something I bought in fifth year because it reminded me of you. I don't really know why I bought it, especially since you hated me. Maybe I was holding on to the hope that I'd be able to give it to you one day. And, hey, I am! So maybe me buying it was meant to be or something.

Anyways, I hope you have a Happy Christmas and that you like my gifts.

Love, James

Lily quickly started reading the other letter, which had all the signs of being written several years ago. It was crinkled and sloppily written.

__

Dear Lily,

I feel so stupid writing this letter to you, but I hear somewhere that writing down when you're angry can calm you down. Only I'm writing this because I'm completely in love with you, and I thought maybe if I wrote this letter it would go away. Since you hate me, what's really the point in being in love with you, right? So that's why I'm doing this, and even though you'll never read it, if I can pretend you did, maybe everything will work out.

First of all, why am I in love with someone who hates my guts? I don't even know where to start…it probably has something to do with the first time we met, which may have been the only time you were ever nice to me. It's just you were so nice…and you're always so nice to everyone. So that's reason number one. Also, you're really, really smart, which might seem like a stupid reason, but it amazes me how someone can be so nice and so smart too. And, of course, I think you're beautiful. I've never seen someone with the most gorgeous red hair in my life, and even without it you'd be the prettiest girl I've ever met.

So, yes, even though you hate me, I love you. I love you now, and even after writing this letter and hoping it'll go away, I know I'm going to love you forever. Until the ends of the Earth. So much for this great idea, because I think this whole thing just made it worse.

Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, James

Lily felt like she couldn't really move for a moment. If she'd ever known that James had felt this way…wouldn't she have acted differently? And the shock of this…he had said that this was how he felt now, and she couldn't believe it was possible for him to love her this much in so little time.

But, realistically, she thought, he'd liked her for a lot longer than she'd liked him. In fact, she'd spent just as much time detesting him as he had pursuing her. What was she supposed to say to this? She didn't even know if she loved him now, let alone if she'd love him for the rest of her life. Did he expect her to respond exactly the same way?

Pushing the thoughts away momentarily, she reached for the little jewelry box beside her and untied the ribbon around it. As she looked at what was inside, she gave a little gasp. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

On a thin, silver chain hung a white lily that was made out of glass and more silver. It was gorgeous and so delicate-looking, that it seemed almost dangerous to take it out of the box and risk breaking it. She didn't take it out of the box quite yet, but left the box open on her nightstand so she could look at it every time she came into the dormitory. She began to leave the room to thank James, but remembered to put away his letters first, and then headed up to the boys' dormitory.

As she walked up the spiraled staircase, she could hear explosions and yells getting louder, and she considered for a moment whether she _really _wanted to see what was happening in their room. Nevertheless, she opened the door and found herself confronted with a number of dazzling fireworks. They finally stopped, and she looked at all four boys and Anna, who had obviously joined them.

"Brilliant, aren't they?" Sirius said, his face shining, "The best invention ever, I tell you!"

"Oh…yes…fascinating," Lily replied, smiling half-heartedly.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" James asked Lily pointedly. She nodded, but Sirius interrupted.

"It's freezing outside, who wants to go for a walk?" He asked.

"Well, we'll go get breakfast then," James replied. He and Lily both left the room quickly.

"Oh, yes, breakfast, that's what they're doing!" Sirius called after them, "We all know where you're really going!!!"

Lily smiled as the walked down the spiral steps, not realizing immediately that there was a significant amount of tension and discomfort in the air.

"Er…thanks for the Quidditch tickets," James said enthusiastically, "That's really the best present I've ever gotten."

"Oh…you're welcome," Lily said brightly. _Please, please, please, don't ask me where I got them,_ She pleaded silently.

"How did you get a hold of them? You have to have real connections for that sort of thing," He asked. _Damn, _Lily thought in her head, _Now, do I tell him the truth or just blow it off…?_

"Well…er…I…I got them from…" She stammered, "You remember Ludo Bagman?" James' face turned a little sour and he stopped walking. By this time, they had gone through the portrait hole and were standing right in front of the Fat Lady.

"Ludo Bagman? Wasn't he that idiot two years above us who kept asking you on dates?" He asked.

"Um…well…yes, actually, that's how I would describe him too," Lily said, "Anyway, you know how he's a Beater for the Wimbourine Wasps, and--"

"Are you saying," James interrupted, "That you went and asked him to give you these tickets?"

"Er…yes," Lily said. There was a very long pause.

"What did you bribe him with?" James demanded. Lily began walking again, and James followed at her side.

"Oh nothing," She said airily, "He just asked me to give him a really good snog, it was no big deal."

"What??" James yelled, "I sincerely hope you're joking!!"

"_Of course_ I'm joking, you prat," She said, "I just asked him for them as a favor, and he gave them to me. And I pointed out several times that they were for my darling boyfriend."

"Why would you go talking to him when he used to…" James said, "You know…"

"Like me? Well, I wasn't all that worried about it," Lily replied, "After all, not to brag, but I doubt he'll be the last one who does."

"You're not being funny," James said, stopping again. Lily stopped too, and sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay, I'm sorry," She said, "Listen, it's not a big deal. You don't have to worry about me with other guys."

"Oh really, and why not?" James asked her, sounding skeptical.

"Well, because…because…" Lily said, and then the answer hit her. "You don't have to worry when I talk to other guys, because no matter if they like me or anything, you're my boyfriend, and I…well…I love you." James stared at her, seeming to be taking in what she had just said.

"Are you just saying that because…" He trailed off, but Lily understood what he was asking.

"No, I'm not just saying that because of that letter you wrote me, although it was lovely," Lily said, "But it made me realize that I love you. Honestly, I really do."

"Oh…well…I'd say I love you too, but I think that was already implied," James replied.

"I think I got the message," Lily said, smiling, "Now, how about that breakfast you were talking about?"

And so the walked down to breakfast together, feeling much less uncomfortable, and for the first time they'd admit it, very much in love.

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**Author's Note:** Okay, well, as I said, good heavens, and I'm terribly sorry. Really I am, from the bottom of my heart. There are several reasons that it's taken me so long, and I won't lie. #1: The first part was that I started school and homework started accumulating. #2: I bought The Sims 2, which, sadly, I got hooked on for a very long time. #3: We had finals Thursday and Friday last week. #4: I've been lazy and had Writer's Block.

So, again, I'm incredibly, terribly, absolutely, positively, from the bottom of my heart, bottom of the ocean, ends of the Earth sorry. Because I really do love hearing all your reviews, and I hope you haven't excommunicated me because of this. I do love you, honestly.

Please review, although I know I don't deserve it.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

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Author's Note: You know, I'm beginning to think that I just have real problem with updating sooner. It's horrible, but it seems I just can't help myself.

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Jersey Princess: Thank you so, so, soooooooo much--not only for your extremely kind reviews but also for putting me over the hundred review mark! Keep reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

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Windowseat Wonderer: Yes, finals and writer's block are completely killer. But the Sims 2 is fun, though it has to be said, extremely addicting. Thanks, and I hope you like this chapter!

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easilyamusd987: I'm glad you discovered my story and that you like it! Here's a new chapter that I hope you like just as much!

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sweetsoutherngal: Computers can be really stupid sometimes (I know the feeling). But all in all I'm glad you found a way to read my story, even if it was hard! I love LJ stories too, which is why I love writing this story so much! Thanks and I hope you like this chapter!

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Stoptheinsanity: Thanks! I really am trying not to let school stop me from writing, but it gets hard sometimes…hopefully I'll get better at it! I'm really flattered that you like my characters so much, it's nice to get reassurance that you aren't writing a really dumb story!

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midnite12: Glad you liked it, and good suggestion (if only I hadn't written that part yet)! Hope you keep reading, and thanks!

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kris250: Now I feel bad because it took me so long to update this time! Please keep reading & loving my story though, and thanks!

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KTSweep08: Did you really think that part was funny? I'm kinda bad at writing funny lines, but every once in a while I'll think up a good one. Anyway, YES, the Sims 2 is so addicting it's almost scary…thanks and hope you like this chapter!

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Lady of Masbolle: Oh, thanks so much!! blushes (I reread my story and I can see what you mean about my improving writing!)

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Chapter Fifteen

The rest of the winter holidays were nearly as enjoyable as they always had been; perhaps more so in Lily and James' case, since they were spending it together. Nobody, however, the one thing that made it less enjoyable was the looming threat of Voldemort and his supporters.

As everyone had expected, all of the traditional holiday parties had been cancelled. One thing no one could figure out was whether they had done it out of respect for those lost or if the people who usually held them were just afraid to mark themselves as targets. Nevertheless, people outside of Hogwarts could feel Voldemort's terror enveloping all of them, silently and slowly. Lily had remarked on something rather interesting to James one night while they were sitting in front of the fire. She had been staring into the flames for a few minutes, and finally she had looked up to speak.

"I wonder what it's like out there," She mused suddenly, and James had initially no idea what she meant. "Outside of Hogwarts right now, I mean," She added.

"Er…cold?" James suggested, though he knew it wasn't the answer.

"No, I just mean…well, I suppose we sit here all day inside, protected by Dumbledore, and we hardly ever pay much attention to the fact that there's a hell-bent mass murderer out there," She said. James shrugged.

"Well, I guess it's just we've gotten used to it," He replied, "It was really shocking at first, but not so much anymore. We know he's there and what he wants to do."

"How could you ever get used to something like that?" Lily asked, and James noticed the fire in her eyes wasn't just coming from the reflection of the fireplace, "What if it was one of your friends or family that died, wouldn't you still be shocked by it? How do you think Frank feels? I'll bet you he's not used to having his dad dead."

"I don't suppose so…but…"James trailed off.

"I only mean to say," Lily interrupted, "What's it going to be like when we don't have these walls and Dumbledore protecting us?"

James had found this conversation rather disconcerting, and he had gone to bed that night feeling very restless indeed. He had had very odd dreams; ones that he couldn't make head or tail of what was going on. All he could make out were blurry figures and muffled shouts. He had never had dreams like this before, and he desperately wanted to know what was really going on for some reason. Nevertheless, other things occupied his mind, including the increasing Quidditch practices, and he all but forgot about his odd dreams.

With one thing and another, it was the middle of January before anything remotely interesting occurred.

---

It was a relatively normal morning; classes had long since resumed and it had finally stopped snowing lately. Everyone was in the Great Hall eating breakfast, and the owls carrying the morning post had just swooped in. Much to her surprise, a tawny owl dropped a large pink envelope at Lily's place. She picked it up and read the front, which said her name (in ludicrously flourished silver cursive).

"What's that?" James asked, reading the front over her shoulder and frowning slightly, "And why is it so bloody pink?"

"I have no idea," Lily said, turning it over and beginning to open it, "It doesn't say who it's from."

She pulled out the contents, which turned out to be two pieces of paper, which were the same shade of pink with the same silver lettering, only less flourished. She quickly read what the first piece of paper said, and her jaw dropped open.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked, leaning over the table to try and read it.

"Erm…it's from my sister," Lily said, "She's…well, she's getting married." A long, pronounced silence followed these words. Everyone looked at each other, not sure what to say.

"That's…well, that's great," Remus finally said, rather half-heartedly.

"No, it's not," Lily said.

"Oh, come on Lils, you have to be at least a little happy for her," James added, though he didn't sound like he meant it either.

"No, I'm not, because she's getting married to a red-faced, neckless elephant named Vernon," Lily said, beginning to reread the invitation, "_And_ she wants me to be a bridesmaid. I'm surprised she even invited me."

The bell rang and everyone got up from the table, Lily gathering up the pink invitation and shoving it carelessly into her bag. James threw a quizzical look at Anna, who shrugged.

James certainly thought Lily was acting strangely. He knew that she and her sister didn't get along very well, but he thought she might be a little happier about her getting married. Then again, he had never had a brother or sister, so maybe it wasn't something you could just assume things about.

As he walked down the passageway to the dungeons, towards the Potions class, with Lily, he noticed that there was definitely something wrong with her. Her face was set in a position reminiscent of lockjaw, and she was walking rather fast. She threw her bag down when they got into the classroom, and while she tried to be nice and cheery about everything, he could tell she didn't mean it. After asking her several times what was wrong and not getting any answer, he gave up and hoped that she'd tell him on her own.

---

After dinner, Lily had had enough of James staring at her like she was a time-bomb, so she had slipped off to the library to study. She knew it was only a matter of time before somebody found her, and so she took advantage of the time. However, instead of studying, she kept thinking about Petunia's wedding and the disaster it was sure to be.

Lily was not so unhappy that her sister was getting married, or that it was Vernon she was marrying. He may not be the most tolerable person in the world, but at least her sister was happy with him. No, the thing that really bothered her was that she knew if Petunia had been given the choice, Lily would not have been invited at all. She was sure that her parents had forced Petunia to invite her, which made Lily considerably less enthusiastic than she normally would have been.

Just as she was sitting there, staring at the wedding invitation again, there was a noise to the left of her. She looked over to see Sirius sitting on the ground beside a large amount of books. He was swearing (rather loudly for being in a library) and kicking the books around while getting up from the ground. Lily realized she would rather not talk to Sirius at this point, feeling so unhappy, and she almost started gathering her things when he noticed her. To her dismay, he strolled over and sat across from her, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was not in her best of moods.

"Good evening, Ms. Evans," He said, sounding ridiculously proper.

"Er…hi," Lily said, shoving the wedding invitation under her books. The last thing she needed was to discuss her problems with Sirius.

"You seem to be dismayed about something," Sirius continued. Lily sighed, and this time she really did start gathering up her things.

"It's nothing, I'm just frustrated about…about this Transfiguration stuff," Lily lied, hoping her would leave her alone. When he didn't, she tried again, "I was just leaving, though."

"Why would you leave? I can help you with it," Sirius said, pulling the book towards him. Unfortunately, doing this, he revealed the pink invitation, which had been hidden, and he looked at Lily, puzzled.

"Oh, hahahaha, I wonder how that got there!" Lily said, and she realized too late that her voice sounded unnaturally high-pitched, and Sirius could easily tell she was lying.

"Hmmm. Are you sure there's nothing else wrong with you? Other than Transfiguration, I mean," Sirius said, frowning slightly.

"I--no, no, I'm…fine," Lily stammered, trying her best to smile brightly.

"Okay, because…well, if you were having trouble with someone in your family," Sirius said pointedly, "You're sitting across from the expert in that field."

"Right, what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Lily snapped at him, finally losing her patience. Sirius looked a little shocked for a moment, then got up.

"All right, well, if you really don't like me that much," He said sourly, "I'll just leave you here to sulk and feel sorry for yourself for the rest of the night."

He started walking away from the table, and Lily felt a horrible feeling in her throat. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was feeling bad about what she had said, and turned in her chair.

"Sirius!" She called at his retreating figure, "I'm sorry. Really, I am." He turned around, appeared to be thinking about whether to rejoin her or not, and finally walked back to the table and took his previous seat.

"So there's something wrong with your sister, I take it?" Sirius said immediately.

"Well…" Lily paused. Did she really want to get into this? She'd never even told James about the problem with her sister--but for some reason, she started blurting everything out, all the way from the day she got her Hogwarts letter to her sister calling her a freak to the wedding invitation.

And, when she was done, she didn't feel nearly as upset as she had been before.

---

"Potter! There you are, I've been looking for you for nearly an hour now!"

James turned and saw Professor McGonagall standing a ways down the corridor, looking slightly frustrated.

"There are some people to see you in the Headmaster's office, Mr. Potter," She continued, not moving, obviously waiting for him. James groaned inwardly--he had just been looking for Lily and had been about to try the library. However, Professor McGonagall was getting more agitated by the second and James reluctantly walked towards her and followed her up to Dumbledore's office. When they had arrived at the stone gargoyle, she said the password, ("Chocolate Frog!") and went with him up the spiraling staircase, all the way into Dumbledore's office.

"Mr. Potter, good evening," Dumbledore said, standing up as he entered, smiling grandly. James noticed that to the left of Dumbledore stood another person, wearing a badge on their robe which had had a broomstick and the letters, "I.Q.A." Before James could even speak, the man had descended on him like a culture, shaking his hand and introducing himself.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, I'm Thomas Branahan, English representative for the International Quidditch Association," The man said, shaking his hand very energetically. Dumbledore gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and James, feeling confused, sank into it. The man also took a seat to the left of the desk, and, almost immediately, Thomas Branahan started talking.

"We're so glad to have you here, Mr. Potter, really we are. You see, we've been watching your Quidditch career here at Hogwarts very closely, very closely indeed, and of course, we've noticed a remarkable strength at the sport," He said very quickly, "And we got word that there was an opening on one of the teams, and, well, you were at the top of our list for new recruits!"

"Er…I don't really understand what you mean," James replied, "Are you saying you want me to leave Hogwarts?" He heard Professor McGonagall let out a derisive snort at this.

"No, no, no, Mr. Potter, of course not. We only mean to say that, if you're interested, you would be welcome on the team. Your skills would be an extremely valuable asset to the English league as a whole, and we could draw up a contract as early as tonight if you'd like," Thomas Branahan said, and James started to feel a little dizzy with all the new information.

"Mr. Branahan," Dumbledore began, "Wonderful though it is that you wish to recruit James so quickly, I think he would need more information and a little more time to consider your offer."

"Well, that's why I've brought all these papers with me," Branahan continued, pulling out a huge pile of paper, "They outline all the physical and mental requirements of our league, as well as the legal matters and an explanation of what the job would be like." James sat there, feeling paralyzed, until he realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Oh…oh, right, that's really great," James said, taking the pile of papers of the desk and staggering under their weight, "I'll…I'll have a look over these and get back to you on it."

Branahan's face fell slightly; James could tell he was disappointed that he hadn't been able to sign him up on the spot. Nevertheless, he straightened himself out and stood up, shaking Dumbledore's hand and James'.

"Mr. Potter, take your time with those forms," He said as he was about to leave, "But I can tell you honestly--the life of a Quidditch player is the most exciting you could dream of. Traveling the world, making huge amounts of money, gaining international fame, and that's only the beginning!"

After he had said farewell and left, Dumbledore stared at James analytically. James thought that that whole conversation had sounded like an over-enthusiastic sales pitch, and was still wondering how in the world he was going to get through all of these papers.

"James," Dumbledore said (after staring at him for what felt like a very uncomfortably eternity), "I am extremely happy that you have been given this opportunity."

"Thanks," James said numbly, knowing that this was sure to lead to something else.

"But I would like you to carefully consider the drawbacks of being a Quidditch player for your career," Dumbledore continued, "Exciting and intriguing though it may seem, you need to realize the sacrifices people make to live that way."

"Yeah," James said, not knowing what Dumbledore really meant.

"Think about this carefully," Dumbledore said, apparently in a last attempt to make him understand, "Lots of things will change if you choose to take this job."

Five minutes later, James was walking the corridors, back to Gryffindor tower dazedly. Some of what had just happened seemed to sink in. He could play Quidditch for a job if he wanted. But why didn't Dumbledore think it was a good idea? After all, it was something James loved to do, and he would make lots of money at it. Why was it so much worse than any other job?

When he reached the Common Room, he found it nearly deserted, which was surprising, since it was only eight thirty. He sunk into a chair by one of the tables and tried to read through the heaps of Quidditch information he'd been given, but he could feel exhaustion creeping in. Finally, he went up to his dormitory and fell asleep, deciding to keep this whole ordeal to himself until he'd figured it out more.

---

Meanwhile, Lily and Sirius were still in the library, discussing their family problems. Sirius, Lily had learned, was no stranger to alienation by his relations. He had told her all about his family, and she had realized that he really _was _an expert on the subject.

"So, even after all of that, you still seem upset," Sirius said, "I thought you'd feel better by now."

"Oh, I do," Lily said, sighing, "It's only…I feel bad now, because I've never really talked about this with James or anything. Plus I've been kind of hiding from him since dinner."

"Really good hiding spot," Sirius said sarcastically, "Only I seemed to be able to find you all right."

"That's only because you fell over that pile of books," Lily said.

"I was hiding from Filch, he though I set a dungbomb off in the Entrance Hall!" Sirius protested.

"And did you?"

"…"

"Well?"

"That's not really the point, Lily," Sirius said, "Anyways, back to this James thing--why don't you want to tell him?"

"Because…because I feel like he wouldn't really get it or something, you know?" Lily said, "I mean, I've always heard about how great his family is, and he doesn't have any brothers or sisters, so…" Sirius paused for a moment.

"The _last thing_ James would do if you told him," Sirius said, "Is not understand. Didn't you hear what I just told you? He and his parents let me live with him for two summers because I ran away! Why would you ever think that he would…judge you or something?"

"I'm not worried he'd judge me," Lily said indignantly, "I just don't know if he'd get it."

"Yes, you are afraid that he'd judge you," Sirius replied, "Because that's exactly how _I _felt about discussing it with my friends for the first time." Something sparked in Lily's brain.

"And I suppose that's the way Remus felt before he told you about his problems?" She said, smirking, and she saw Sirius go slightly pale, and she continued, "Sirius--he told me."

"Bloody _hell_, Evans, don't scare me like that," Sirius said, "I thought you'd found out about it by yourself. Nobody's supposed to know! But yes, that's probably how he felt too."

"Well," Lily sighed, "I guess I'd better go find James and have a long chat with him."

"Yeah, that's the right thing to do," Sirius said, nodding, "I mean, he'd never keep anything that important from you, so it's only fair if you do the same."

"THERE YOU ARE!!!" Came a shout from behind Sirius, and they both saw Filch emerging from one of the rows of bookcases, looking positively furious, and coming right at Sirius.

"Well, Ms. Evans," Sirius said, jumping over the table, "It's been lovely having a chat with you this evening, but I fear I must depart." And with that, he tore out of the library with Filch in hot pursuit.

Lily smiled to herself as she gathered her things up, feeling much better. She walked back to Gryffindor Tower and was slightly disappointed that James was nowhere to be found. She considered going up to his dormitory, but in the end decided against it, since he was probably sleeping, and, anyways, she could tell him in the morning.

As she lay awake in bed, she realized that Sirius wasn't as bad as she had always thought, and that it was true: James wouldn't keep something like this from her. Little did she know that he was hiding something from her at that very moment.

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Author's Note: Well, that chapter feels a little pathetic to me, but I'm running out of ideas to fill the story in with. I do have some major things I'm going to put in the story, it's just nothing felt right in this chapter, so I had to resort to some stuff to fill in the blanks and make a chapter. Oh well, at least it's an update, right? I don't know what was wrong with me this time round, I've just been lazy. Anyway, like I said before, I hope you don't hate me for taking so long. (Oh, and Happy late Thanksgiving to all you North Americaners!!!)

THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS--I'VE GOT OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!! J


	16. Chapter Sixteen

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Author's Note: Hello, everyone!! How are you doing? Anyway, I have to say I'm sorry again for taking so long to update, but it seems like this will just have to be the normal updating time. I only write when I feel like it or have some sort of idea what I'd like to write, and so that eliminates writing all the time. Also, I have homework and school, so that causes some stress and makes me less likely to update. Always keep in mind that I love this story and will keep writing it until it satisfies me.

I've decided to stop writing individual responses to each reviewer, merely because it often takes up too much time, and it'll make me get around to updating sooner. But don't think I don't love everyone who reviews…I just want to get to the chapters sooner! So here's a big "Thank You, You're Great, and Happy Holidays!" to:

the conjugial angel, Funivia, Lady of Masbolle, mgirl, KTSweep08, Windowseat Wonderer, Jersey Princess, & Snap. You guys fuel my fire for writing!!

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Chapter Sixteen

January seemed to fly by in the minds of everyone, or at least all of the seventh years in Hogwarts at the time. Their teachers were continuously lecturing about their upcoming N.E.W.T.s, about career choices, and about life after Hogwarts. Everyone reacted to this differently. Some people became extremely nervous about going out into the "real world" after Hogwarts, while others, like Sirius, casually announced that they were going to become the next Minister of Magic and become extravagantly rich. Whatever the case, the growing pressure of the final exams crept over the castle more and more as time went on.

The mood of the students began to lift slightly as January came to a close, bringing with it feeble rays of sunshine and the nearing of Valentine's Day. James had begun to get slightly nervous about this, actually; he felt he had gotten Lily the most romantic gift possible for Christmas and couldn't even began to think how he'd be able to outdo himself.

However, for all the worrying he did about it, he knew that Valentine's Day was always sure to bring at least some humor, and he was right. Every year around this time, almost every girl in the castle would follow Sirius around, giggling and pointing, staring hopefully at him. Sirius seemed to bask in their adoration, though after a while he would always end up getting annoyed. James, Remus, and Peter would always take advantage of this to make fun of him incessantly, and they were sure this year would be no different.

---

"All right, everyone! That's enough for tonight!" James yelled to the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. The sun was nearly set, casting a pink glow over the still snow-laden grounds of Hogwarts. The rest of the team landed, got off their brooms, and headed towards the changing rooms.

After James was changed back into his normal clothing, he left the changing room, only to hear three familiar voices from near the stands. Puzzled, he walked towards them, finding Peter, Sirius, and Remus standing together, staring across the grounds at something.

"What are you doing?" He asked. Remus was frowning slightly, Sirius looked angry, and Peter seemed to be extremely nervous.

"One word," Sirius replied, still staring across the grounds, "_Snivellus_." James turned in the direction they were looking, and saw Snape on the front steps, talking to a dark-haired girl. James could tell, even from this distance, that it was Bellatrix Black.

"How long have they been there?" James asked.

"About ten minutes now," Sirius said bitterly, "You'd think they'd conduct their Voldemort Fan Club meetings somewhere more private."

"That's not funny," Remus said suddenly, "If that's really what they're doing, we should tell Dumbledore."

"Get real," Sirius said, snorting with disgust, "You know that's exactly what they're doing. You don't seriously think that they're not supporting him, do you?"

"Listen, Sirius, I know you hate Snape, but don't assume things like that," Remus replied. Sirius opened his mouth to say something before closing it again and sighing.

They watched in silence for a few minutes. Bellatrix seemed to be shaking her head as Snape spoke to her, and she kept trying to leave before Snape would pull her back again. Finally, she managed to make her way down the stairs, though Snape caught up with her and stopped her before she got too far.

"Let's get out of here," Remus said, "I don't even want to know what they're up to." The four Gryffindors started making their way through the snow, hoping that neither Snape nor Bellatrix would spot them.

They returned to Gryffindor Tower, and went and sat in some chairs right in front of the fire. As soon as they had returned, James could feel the weight of all the Quidditch paperwork he'd be given, as though someone had just carefully balanced it on his head.

From what he'd read, the life of a Qudditch player was much less glamorous and fantastic than he had always thought. There seemed to be a whole lot of traveling and training all the time, not to mention the fact that he would have to sign with a team for at least five years. Ever since he had played Quidditch for the first time, he had always wanted to be a professional player, to play in the World Cup and hear hundreds of thousands of people screaming his name...but somehow, now everything had been pulled into perspective and he found himself having more than just second thoughts about the matter.

He knew that he wouldn't want to spend his first five years out of Hogwarts away from his family and friends. But at the same time, it was a completely free way to travel the world, and all he had to do was play Quidditch in return. Still, it didn't seem worth it. He'd played Quidditch for six years now, and he was sure that must be enough. What if he got sick of it only a year into playing? There would be no way to turn back for five whole years.

And, of course, there was the matter of Lily. He'd practically made a career out of pursuing her, and now he finally had exactly what he wanted. It seemed so stupid to like her that much and just try and forget about her so he could play Quidditch. But he hated even thinking about what they'd do after school. After all, what were the chances that she'd _want_ to stay with him after they got out of Hogwarts? She'd probably meet somebody else who was fantastic, and not a prat, someone who wouldn't even entertain the idea of leaving her…

"Earth to James Potter…" Somebody said, and James came out of his reverie. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all looking at him. They'd clearly been asking him something.

"Oh…er…what?" H asked, feeling rather stupid. Sirius and Remus exchanged glances, but they didn't pursue whatever they were thinking.

"We were just commenting," Sirius said, as though he were talking about the weather, "On how lovely the moon looks tonight. It's nearly full, isn't it, Remus?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Remus replied, looking slightly tense.

"Give it a few more days, I'd say," Sirius continued. Remus nodded, sighing wearily. James stared out the window, looking at the moon, remembering the times that they used to go out and roam the grounds, free to do whatever they wanted. With a pang of sadness, he realized that those days seemed farther away than they ever had before.

---

"This," Anna said, slamming down a book, "Is complete crap. I am not spending the rest of my school career shut inside some bloody library."

"Fine by me," Lily replied complacently, "But don't come looking for help from me when you're living on the streets."

They had spent a total of three hours in the library that night, looking desperately for something to help them on their Charms homework. It had turned out that their teachers hadn't been joking about the workload increasing, but no one had expected things to be this difficult.

"And another thing," Anna said, practically yelling, "How in the _world_ does Sirius manages to make his way through school?! I haven't even seen him pick up a quill in the last week!!"

"Anna," Lily began, but apparently she wasn't done yelling.

"All the while we're in here, working as hard as we can and we're just barely making ends meet!" She continued.

"Anna, you're going to get us kicked out of here," Lily hissed at her.

"Good," Anna said, "You know what, GOOD! I want to be kicked out of here. I hate this place. In fact, I'm kicking myself out. I'm leaving. See you later." She picked up her bag and strode out of the room, glaring at everyone else sitting nearby. They all turned and stared at Lily, looking very wrong-footed. After debating in her mind whether to go after Anna or not, she ruefully picked up her things and left, hoping she would catch her best friend before she got the chance to explode on anyone else.

Much to her surprise, Anna was waiting right outside the library for her.

"What took you so long?" She asked, "Come on, we're going for a walk."

"To where?" Lily said, "And what is that supposed to mean, 'What took you so long?'"

"One day, you will listen to me and learn that you are extremely predictable," Anna said, "And we're going to the kitchens. I'm hungry."

"You know, we're really not supposed to be going in the kitchens," Lily said, almost running to keep up with Anna, "I know you think nobody cares, but it is a school rule, and--"

"Some rules were made to be broken, Lily dear," Anna said, "Especially if they're stupid and easily broken."

"You are a horrible influence, you know," Lily said, "It's because of you that I've gotten into all the trouble that I have--"

"Which is practically none," Anna snorted.

"_And_ you probably brainwashed me into going out with James, too!" Lily finished.

"Well, then, you should be thanking me!" Anna said, "And please shut up Lily, because you're giving me a headache."

They had reached the hallway that led to the kitchens, with painting of various fruits hanging on the walls. They walked the rest of the way in silence, and neither one of them spoke until they were inside the kitchen, sitting down and eating a wide assortment of delicious pastries.

"He's hiding something from me," Lily said suddenly.

"He who?" Anna asked.

"What other he?" James, of course," Lily replied exasperatedly. Anna nodded thoughtfully, licking the icing of a cupcake.

"Well what do you think it is?" She asked finally.

"I _think_ it must have something to do with exams," Lily said, "Because every time a teacher mentions N.E.W.T.s he gets this shifty look and he won't speak to me for a few minutes. Maybe he thinks he's going to fail."

"Hmmm. Buheez nog oingto," Anna said thickly, biting into her cupcake. After swallowing, she said, "What I meant was, he's not going to fail, and he knows it, so why would exams make him nervous?"

"He is so confusing sometimes," Lily said, sighing.

"You're telling me," Anna said, "And you didn't even really know him before this year. I thought I had him all figured out and then he came back this year completely different. It was one of _the _weirdest things I've ever experienced." They both fell into silence again, and Anna started on another cupcake.

"Maybe you should just ask him about it," She suggested.

"Well, he must have a _reason _for not telling me," Lily said.

"Sure he does. Just like Sirius has a reason for being terminally insane," Anna said.

---

The next few days passed without major occurrences. Anna seemed to have gotten over her exam stress, fortunately for the rest of her friends. Sirius was being followed almost constantly by what his friends called his fan club, and Remus had left the castle once more under the pretense of visiting his sick grandmother, though all his friends knew better than to believe him.

Still, however, James was showing signs of concealing some sort of secret from the rest of his friends. He had withdrawn from most conversations and instead had taken to staring off into space thoughtfully, as if there were something troubling him. Nobody seemed to know what the problem could be, and he didn't appear to want to tell any of them either.

Valentine's Day was now less than a week away, and with all the things on his mind, James had barely had time to even think about what he was going to do with Lily. He certainly felt horrible because he hadn't even made any attempts at getting her a gift, but every minute of the day he was plagued with the decision he had to make eventually. He had been up almost every night doing homework that he had forgotten about, and as a result he was exhausted.

It was on one of these nights where he was up doing Potions homework. James was so wrapped up in trying to explain complicated potion recipes and trying to drive out thoughts of Quidditch that he didn't even notice that Lily hadn't come back to the Common Room after dinner, and he didn't even look up when she entered.

"Hi," She said, sitting down across the table from him, and causing James to start slightly. Nevertheless, his face broke into a tired smile when he looked up.

"Oh, hi," He said, "I'm just trying to do this Potions homework."

"Well you've had nearly a week to do it," Lily said, biting her lip.

"Thank you, I wasn't aware," James snapped, and Lily fell silent. Neither one of them said anything for a moment, and all that could be heard was the scratching of James' quill.

"Well…I just wanted to know if you were thinking of…doing anything on Valentine's Day," Lily said cautiously, and James could tell she was trying not to upset him again.

His heart sank down to his stomach--he had almost completely forgotten about Valentine's Day. He couldn't bear to tell her that he'd forgotten, but there was no other explanation.

"Oh…oh…yeah, yeah, I have," He lied, his stomach squirming unpleasantly, "But it's a surprise so I can't tell you."

"Really?" She asked, smiling, "Oh, James, that's so sweet of you! I was going to say that you didn't need to make a big deal, we could just go into Hogsmeade or something, but if you've already planned something…"

__

Now she tells me, James thought, rolling his eyes to himself, and suddenly something occurred to him.

If he was even considering leaving her and everyone else behind after school, why shouldn't she at least have some warning? And in addition to that, why was he bothering to lead her on and make her feel like he was going to marry her or something when he really had no idea what was going to happen after he left Hogwarts? Without thinking, he put his quill down and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Lily, I have something to tell you," He said firmly, "About three weeks ago I got an offer to play Quidditch professionally, after I leave school."

"You did? Oh wow, that's so great James, I'm so--" Lily began, but he interrupted her.

"I read over the paperwork they gave me and the facts are, if I choose to play Quidditch, I'm not going to have much time to do anything but play Quidditch. And they might put me on a team in a different country, one that's really far away. It looks as though," James paused, "If I want to play, I'm going to have to leave a lot of things behind. And I'm not really sure if I can handle having some crazy long-distance relationship in addition to playing."

Lily said nothing. She sat and stared at him, for the longest time, and her expression didn't change at all. After a minute or two, she shook her head and sighed.

"So…are you saying," Lily said, and she sounded very angry, "That you don't want to be together anymore?"

"No, no, of course not," James said, "I'm just saying that neither of us should get our hopes up. I mean, we don't know what's going to happen after we leave school, and maybe we shouldn't assume we know everything about our future."

"Well, if that's your attitude on this…this relationship, you might as well end it now so you don't get even more attached," She replied, her voice raising.

"That's not what I mean--" James began, but she stood up.

"I can't _believe_," She hissed, "After all the time you spent begging me to go out with you and publicly humiliating me…and then when you finally got what you wanted, you told me that you _loved_ me, and that I was the only person you were ever going to love in your whole life. I think it's horrible that you're even entertaining the idea of leaving me after all the time we've spent together, and after all those things you said."

"Lily, you don't understand--"

"I understand _completely_. And you know what I realize now? That you're the exact same arrogant little berk I always that you were. I was so _stupid_ to ever believe that you'd actually changed. That you'd actually begun to realize what the important things in life were. You're the same bigheaded Quidditch player whose ultimate goal in life is to have other people acknowledge how great he is!"

"You've got it all wrong, I never meant--"

"I don't even want to talk to you. You make me sick," Lily finished, and she strode away from the table and up the stairs to the Girls' Dormitories.

James put his head down on the table, realizing that he'd probably just made the biggest mistake of his life, and also realizing that Lily was right--he did sound like the idiot he'd always been, the idiot she'd always hated him for being. She'd come to talk to him about Valentine's Day. First he lied to her, then he'd let her down in the worst way possible. Without even realizing it, he'd reverted to the same person he'd been in years past. He'd been arrogant, he'd been stupid, and most of all, he'd pretty much lost the love of his life.

He sat staring at his parchment with two sentences written on the composition of a Polyjuice Potion, and he couldn't think of a single thing that could fix what he'd just done. Suddenly, a solution clicked into place. He knew what he had to do, and it was darn lucky that Valentine's Day was coming up soon.

****

Author's Note: Uh oh…looks like there's trouble for James. He can be incredibly stupid sometimes, can't he? Oh well, it's not like it's _my _fault he did what he did…it's not like I wrote this or anything…hehe. Anyway, you guys all know the general plot of this story, so obviously they're not going to be broken up forever. They're just in a rough patch right now. But I like doing cliffhangers, because it makes an otherwise boring chapter seem so much more interesting.

So read and review…it'll hopefully make me update faster! Hope everybody has happy holidays…especially if you're off school, like me!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

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**Author's Note:** Too long, too long, I know! And I would love to grovel at all of your knees, but that's not possible, so I'll do what _is _possible-SORRY! I have reasons, which are explained later, but I'll let you read for now.

Thanks to the reviewers, as always….

Via-Lady of Masbolle (India? WOW!)-hey im me-Windowseat Wonderer-NightShine (Wow, long review! Thanks, and I think you're right about the St. Nick thing…)-My Divinest-Tanya J Potter -Funivia-barnesisnoble (Cool name…)-Jersey Princess

****

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning came, and Lily was already awake. She had barely gotten any sleep last night, and now it felt as though someone had hit her over the head very hard. She doubted she could move even if she tried. Meanwhile, Anna was up and walking around the room.

"Are you going to get up? C'mon Lily, it's the weekend!" She said to her happily. Lily groaned. If it weren't bad enough that she'd just ruined her whole relationship, she now would have the whole day to try and avoid James, not just during classes.

"Is something wrong with you?" Anna asked, sitting down on Lily's bed. "You don't look very well."

"I think I'm really sick," Lily said, pulling the covers over her head. "I don't think I'm going to get up today."

"Well, I don't think you're sick, I think something else is wrong with you," Anna said, and Lily felt her weight leave the bed. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

Lily kept the covers pulled over her head for another five minutes. Anna still bustled around the room, humming to herself and saying hello to any of the other girls who happened to walk in ("Morning, Alice!"). After Lily was quite sure they were alone, she pulled the covers off and sat up.

"I-" She began, finding that it had become extremely difficult to talk, "It's just, I've-well…"

"Yes…?" Anna said. Lily felt tears well up in her eyes.

"I've done such a horrible thing…really bad," Lily said, and Anna looked at her sympathetically.

"Oh, Lily, really, sneaking into the kitchens isn't going to get you expelled, and it's certainly nothing to get so worried about," She replied, but Lily could tell she was being sarcastic.

"It's not funny," Lily said. "I really have done something bad. I hate even thinking about it. I've ruined everything."

"Ruined wh-oh. Does this have something to do with James?" Anna asked tentatively. Lily only nodded, she was sure if she spoke she'd burst into tears. "Well…do you want to talk about it? What happened?"

"I…he told me last night that he got an offer to play professional Quidditch," Lily said. "And he basically told me that after we were done with school, everything between us would have to be over. If he played Quidditch, I mean."

"He said that?" Anna asked incredulously.

"More or less," Lily said. "But I…well, I just got _so _angry with him. I completely overreacted. I was just…crushed."

Lily explained the rest of the conversation to Anna, nearly word for word, leaving her friend gaping at her by the story's end. Anna stood there, completely shocked, and eventually she spoke.

"You said all of that to him?" She asked.

"Yeah. I can't believe it either," Lily said, and Anna sat back down on her own bed.

"Did you mean it?" Anna asked. "Because if you really meant what you said, there's no reason you shouldn't stand by what you told him. You shouldn't apologize unless you're truly sorry."

"What do you think? Do you think what I said was true?" Lily asked, and Anna sighed. She stared first at Lily, then off into space for a moment.

"I think," She began, and Lily could tell she was choosing her words carefully, "that you overreacted a tad-well, actually quite a bit. However, I also think-and I'm being honest-that we got a little reminder of what the old James was like."

"I didn't even let him explain," Lily said hoarsely, "I didn't talk it over with him, and I completely overreacted. It's my fault."

-

James had awoken in a rather different fashion. He had gone to bed, not bothering to complete his homework, and had fallen asleep almost immediately. He had gotten up earlier than anyone else in the dormitory, and was busily brainstorming ideas for Valentine's Day. He was hoping that no one would even ask him if something were wrong.

Sirius and Peter woke up considerably later, and Remus had still not returned (nor would he for another day). Both Sirius and Peter were too tired at first to even notice that James was awake and falsely cheery. However, by the time they went down to breakfast, Sirius had at least begun to notice something was up.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked James, who was eating his breakfast at light speed and constantly scanning the Great Hall in case Lily came in.

"Oh, yes, yes, fine, I'm fine," James said quickly. "Nothing wrong. Fine is my middle name!" Sirius looked at him warily. _Damn_, James thought to himself, _That was idiotic. Completely overdone. Maybe next time I should just keep quiet. Yeah, that's what I'll do._

"Well you seem a little…er…what's the word I'm looking for…" Sirius trailed off. "Well, you seem a little off your rocker, actually."

James, as he had planned, didn't say anything, just kept eating his toast and smiled at his friends. Sirius put down his spoon.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nuffing," James said, through a mouthful of toast.

"Liar. What happened?" Sirius continued.

"Lily," James said, gazing behind Sirius and looking panicked.

"What happened with Lily?" Sirius said, a mischievous grin spreading over his face. "Did you two-"

"_No,_ Sirius, Lily," Peter said, looking at the Entrance to the Great Hall. Sure enough, Anna and Lily had just entered the Great Hall and were looking around for a place to sit. They were looking up and down the Gryffindor table; they looked over at Sirius and then moved to sit as far away from them as possible.

"Well, why are they so upset?" Sirius said, turning back to face James, and found that James had disappeared. Moments later, he stuck his head up from under the table.

"I have to get out of here," James whispered. "_Now_."

"Why?" Sirius asked, but James gave him a murderous glare and he decided not to pursue the subject. "Well, it's going to be tricky. After all, they are sitting right down there and unless you've got the Invisibility Cloak with you, they're bound to see you."

"Thank you for the positive attitude, Sirius," James said. "Now can you stop talking about what's going to go wrong and start thinking of something to get me out of here?"

Ten minutes later, the three Gryffindor boys emerged from the Great Hall. Luckily Lily hadn't seen James, but they weren't so sure Anna hadn't noticed that Sirius and Peter had somebody hiding behind them as they left.

"That was a terrible plan, Sirius," James said. "All those years of planning pranks and you can't even think up something better? 'Oh James, just crouch down behind us and nobody'll notice!' Right."

"Hey, it worked," Sirius said. "Lily didn't notice a thing…well, that might have been because she didn't even look at us the whole time." James groaned. How could he have been so stupid last night?

"Now I think you've got some explaining to do," Sirius said, and the three boys slipped into a hidden compartment behind the tapestry in the Entrance Hall.

Minutes later, James had recapped the entire story for them, and even in the dim light he could see their horrified faces. He waited a moment, hoping one of them would say something and wondering whether he wanted to hear what they had to say.

"What? Aren't you going to say anything?" James asked, and he saw Sirius and Peter exchange glances. He heard Peter trying to disguise a laugh as a cough, but it was unmistakable.

"Well, it's not really _funny_," Sirius said, looking at Peter meaningfully, who stopped laughing, "but that was slightly tactless. No offense or anything. It's just maybe…maybe you should have phrased it differently."

"Like how? There was no other way to 'phrase' it!" James said, frustrated. Sirius shrugged.

"I dunno. I probably wouldn't have done any better in your situation," Sirius said, "not that I would be in your situation."

"What's that supposed to mean?" James asked, and Sirius gave another shrug.

"Well, I'd never get an offer to play pro Quidditch," He said. "And even if I did, if _I_ had a girlfriend like Lily, and I'd been trying to get her to like me since I was eleven, I doubt I'd even have to give the matter a second thought. Sorry if I'm going all 'Remus' on you, mate, but I'm just telling you what I think." James sighed. He hated to admit it, but Sirius was right. If he hadn't been such an idiot, if he'd have kept his mouth shut and given the whole thing more thought, he'd have realized that Lily was much more important than playing Quidditch.

"She hates me now," He said miserably. "I've been so stupid. This is all my fault."

-

The rest of the day was relatively boring, and James only had to try and dodge Lily once more in the Common Room. He supposed she must have told Anna as well, which meant that they would both be out for his blood-and though he knew Lily was much to kind to truly hurt him, he wasn't so certain that Anna wouldn't. Luckily for him, this meant that he could have all the time he wanted to plan out her surprise for Valentine's Day. He spent most of Saturday and at least half of Sunday shut up in the Boys' Dormitory.

Remus came into the dormitory at about noon on Sunday and found all three of his friends sitting on their beds silently. Sirius was twirling a Dr. Filibuster's firework in between his fingers, Peter was actually trying to make his Sneakoscope go off, and James was writing on a piece of parchment.

"Wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day when Sirius was actually quiet," Remus said in a mock amazed voice. Sirius glared at him and looked as though he wanted to throw the firework at his friend's head. "Are you guys…are you all okay?"

"Two of us, yes," Sirius said. "One of us, no."

"Have you even left this room all day?" Remus asked.

"Same answer," Sirius replied.

"Well why hasn't James left the room all day?" Remus asked.

"I think he's trying to figure out how to create a rift in the space-time continuum," Sirius said.

"Why would you automatically assume it's _me_ that hasn't left the room?" James asked indignantly.

"Because Sirius and Peter can't sit still for half a day, that's why," Remus said, sitting down on his own bed. "So, what did you do that merits going back in time?"

"I don't think you want to know," Sirius said, with a hint of smugness. "It's really bad."

"Sirius, will you _shut up_?" James asked, and, ruefully, he told the story to Remus. Luckily, Remus didn't gawk at him, nor did he laugh.

"Oh…wow. That _is _bad," He said. "So are you…are you actually broken up?"

"Er…I…I'm not really sure, now you mention it…" James said. "She did say that whole thing about just breaking up with her and getting it over with, but I'm not sure if she meant it, or…"

"So…what are you going to do about it?" Remus asked.

"Well, I'm drawing up a plan here," James said. "But I think I'm going to need all of your help."

"Are we going to have to get within ten feet of Anna?" Peter asked. "Because you know her, that one time she found out that Sirius had put the Bat-Bogey Hex on her…"

"Are you saying you're not willing to risk your well-being for your best friend?" James asked. Nobody spoke. "I'll take that as a no, and actually I don't blame you. She is a little scary, isn't she? But I do need your help."

"Of course we'll help you," Peter said. "We are your best friends, after all. Through thick and thin, and whatever else they say." Peter's Sneakoscope emitted a long, shrill whistle at that particular moment. He seemed to have broken it somehow and no one could figure out how to turn it off, so they ended up chucking it out the window.

-

"So, I'm a little confused," Anna said. "Are you two actually…broken up, or are you just arguing?"

She and Lily were sitting in front of the fire in the Common Room. It was Sunday night, and though Lily had suggested they go to the library, they had decided against it, given Anna's most recent experience in the library.

"Er…actually, I have no clue," Lily said. "I hope we're not broken up."

"I suggest that before you have a nervous breakdown, you find out how bad your situation actually is," Anna said airily.

Lily sighed heavily. If she could only do something, _anything_ to make what had happened disappear from history altogether. She put down her quill absent-mindedly.

"Man," Anna said, sighing, "you really do have it bad for him, don't you?" At that particular moment, two fifth year girls came walking over to them, looking apprehensive. The girls kept elbowing each other and saying, "No, you ask!" Finally, the girl on the left spoke.

"Hi, you're Lily Evans, right?" She asked in bossy voice, with her hands on her hips.

"Yes," Lily said, wondering what was going on.

"Well, we-" She began, but stopped when her friend elbowed her again, "I mean, _I _was just wondering if you're still going out with James Potter. Because I haven't seen you two together, and-"

"Of course I am," Lily said, forgetting that she actually had no clue about the status of her and James' relationship at the moment.

"Really?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily could tell that the girl didn't believe her. "Well he seems to be avoiding you a lot lately, hasn't he? I'd make sure everything was okay, if I were you."

"Well, you aren't me, so you _really_ don't know what's going on between me and him," Lily snapped. " And I'd _really_ appreciate it if you'd stay out of my business."

"Okay then, thanks," The girl said rudely, and she and her friend walked away. They joined a group of their friends who leaned in close to hear what the girl had to say. After she had told them, they all stared at Lily momentarily, looking disappointed.

Lily looked at Anna, who clearly was trying to contain her laughter.

"I'm so glad you think that's funny," Lily said scathingly.

"Well…it's like…they've got a _waiting list_ or something," Anna said, giggling. "They probably live for the day when they might get their chance to go out with James."

"Whatever. Who cares?" Lily said. "We're _not _broken up."

"A minute ago you said you weren't sure," Anna replied.

"It doesn't matter!" Lily said shortly, and Anna fell silent for a few moments.

"I wonder if James has a thing for blondes," Anna mused. "That girl who came over here was rather pretty…"

"Are you doing this purposely to torture me? I'm not stupid, I can see them with my own eyes!" Lily burst out angrily.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," Anna said, getting up from her chair and walking toward the stairs.

"Fine! Fine, you go to bed, I've had enough of you anyway!" Lily replied.

"Good night," Anna said in a sing-song voice, clearly unperturbed by Lily's display of hostility.

-

"Okay, I think she's walking toward the stairs," Sirius whispered, "Get ready."

"Don't you think she's even _more _liable to kill us if we ambush her right as she's about to go to bed?" Peter asked worriedly.

"That's why we're going to grab her arms so she can't hit us," James replied.

"What about her legs?" Peter asked.

"Peter, this is serious," Remus said. "It's not just an opportunity to touch one of her legs."

"I was just worried she might kick one of us!"

"Right, Peter," Sirius said. "As long as you're thinking like that, why don't you kiss her so she can't bite any of us?"

"Really?"

"Peter, don't be an idiot!" James hissed.

"Shut up, all of you, she's nearly reached us," Sirius said. "Get ready…"

As soon as Anna reached the foot of the stairs up to the Girls' Dormitories, Sirius reached out and grabbed one of her arms and pulled her back to where they were standing.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, and Sirius put a finger to his lips. "Don't you tell me to be quiet Sirius, I've got half a mind to kill all four of you right now!"

"Well, it's a good thing you've got the other half of your mind to stop you then," James said. "I need you to help me with something."

"Well, bloody hell, James, is it really necessary to attack me on my way to bed?" She asked. "You could have just asked, you know, like people normally do when they need a favor!"

"I…er…aren't you…mad at me?" He asked, starting to feel stupid. He should have thought of this; Anna was far too level-headed and smart to take sides in this. Surely she would have formed her own opinion on the matter, and she wouldn't want to kill him just because Lily did.

"Oh, is _that _what this is about? Lily was the one who exploded on you James, not me," Anna said. "And Sirius, you really can let go of me now." Sirius obliged, and she glared at him.

"Well, Lily hates me, and you're her best friend, so I figured that you would too," James said defensively.

"I'm not that stupid, James," Anna said, crossing her arms. "I can tell for myself what's going on, and I can most certainly decide whose side I want to take."

"Then you'll help me?" James asked brightly.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Anna said, waving her hand impatiently. "I've already been trying to help you. Do you know that there's a group of girls out there who are in love with you, and have practically decided which of them gets first pick at you?"

"Er…no," James muttered. "That's actually kind of creepy."

"You're telling me," Anna replied. "But Lily's seething with jealousy over it."

"Really?" James asked. He shook his head. "No, no, no, that's not how I want this to be. Don't try and make her mad or jealous to come back to me, okay? I just need you to make sure she does something."

James told her the details of his plan. After she promised to help him, and they promised not to try and attack her anywhere again, she went up the stairs to bed, as did the four boys.

-

Lily woke up on Valentine's Day. It was this time of morning she liked best of the whole morning; the moments where she wasn't completely awake, nor was she asleep. For a few seconds, she would always forget that she and James were at odds, and that they hadn't spoken since their fight. Then the reality sunk in, and it did even more so on Valentine's Day.

She didn't know exactly why it pained her more than usual. She had always hated Valentine's Day-it was such a cutesy, fake holiday. All these couples went out of their way to show their love for one another, and for the rest of the year, things were back to normal. But today, it would have been the first Valentine's Day she would have spent with James, and she began to understand what was so great about Valentine's Day, as long as you had someone you truly, completely loved. She felt a twinge of pain in her heart as she thought of him, but she decided to put him out of her mind, or at least to try to.

It proved to be much harder than she had thought. The first person she saw when she entered the Common Room was James, and scarcely five minutes after she and Anna had been in the Great Hall, eating breakfast, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter came in. It also didn't help that there were signs of love and couples everywhere, and it seemed as though she could hear every girl exclaiming over what her boyfriend had gotten her from a mile away.

Then the morning post came, slightly different than usual, for today there were enormous packages of chocolates, bouquets of flowers, and enormous red and pink cards being delivered. As Lily looked miserably upon the others around her gleefully accepting their gifts, a school owl swept down in front of her and dropped a single piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Anna asked, surveying the parchment with curiosity. Lily sighed.

"I'd say it's probably the official notice of the end of the world," She said. "Or at least, for me it is."

"Try not to be so cheerful," Anna said sarcastically, returning to eating her food. Lily picked up the parchment and looked at the seal on it: red wax, with a heart in the middle of it. She thought she should maybe burn this before reading it; some psychotic secret admirer was the last thing she needed right now. However, she caught a glimpse of James out of the corner of her eye, and it seemed the mere sight of him was enough to make her open it.

She quickly read the contents, which were written in careful, precise writing that she didn't recognize.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Go to the trophy room

To find your first clue.

"What does it say?" Anna asked. Lily rolled her eyes. She couldn't have imagined this day would get any weirder, but it certainly had.

"Someone's trying to send me on a bloody scavenger hunt," Lily said, "so I'll discover their undying passion for me." Anna pulled the paper out of Lily's hand. She expected her friend to scoff and make fun of her about her secret admirer, but her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Anna said, standing up. "Come one, we've got to follow what it says!"

"Are you kidding?" Lily asked, but she stood up as well. "I'm not going to try and understand the ravings of some lunatic who probably has some sick obsession with me!"

"Well, fine, I'll do it for you then," Anna said, and she began to walk out of the Great Hall.

Lily stood there, while the two sides of her conscience were at war-should she follow Anna, or just leave her to it? Should she care? What did it matter if some unknown person was admiring her from afar, when James was sitting a few feet away, and he was the only person she could see herself in love with, the only person she wanted to be with? Why did Anna always have this effect of making her question things?

Heaving a sigh, and not really knowing why, Lily followed her friend out of the Great Hall, not aware that James was watching her as she went.

****

**Author's Note:** Sheesh…you wouldn't think one chapter would be such a hassle. When I first wrote this, I wasn't really paying attention to the fact that I had switched Anna's character to a completely new personality. So I had to go back and rewrite her part more level-headed, less biased. Then I had to go back and change a bunch of grammar, because I realized I'd been writing dialogue slightly wrong. A few more tweaks here and there, and then I had to finish it out. I would have written more if I were up to thinking of more clues and if it wasn't already 12 pages on word. Anyway, sorry for taking so long, but I really have been busy. We switched classes, took our exit exams…blech. So I'm trying to cope with all the homework (math) and still keep up in everything outside of school.

Please review…it makes my day to hear what you have to say.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

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**Author's Note:** Oh boy, look at me, updating late again. Sorry, I really must be the master of procrastination and of getting distracted. I also couldn't really think of what to write, and I think this is sort of a filler chapter, although I could be wrong.

Thanks to: **fatcat, starscope, kriskros, certified-weirdo (it's true! He really changed! Happy very late birthday!), Coco-Pop (I like your name!), My Divinest, Windowseat Wonderer (I tried to update the rest on V-Day, but I just couldn't get it finished), Lady of Masbolle, Jersey Princess, Via **

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Chapter 18

"I still can't believe I'm getting involved in this," Lily said, aggravated. She and Anna were walking through the corridors and up the stairways towards the trophy room.

"Oh, come on, don't you think it's intriguing?" Anna asked excitedly. Lily stopped dead.

"Anna?" She called. Anna stopped and looked back at her. "You don't have anything to do with this, do you?"

"No, of course not, don't be ridiculous," Anna said. "Now come on, we're wasting time."

"No, this whole _thing _is a waste of time," Lily shot back, but she continued on to the trophy room nevertheless. When they reached it, it seemed as though nothing was out of the ordinary. The various bronze and silver trophies, medals, and plaques were all in their respective place. "Well, that's too bad. I guess the little adventure's over, let's go," Lily said quickly, turning to leave, but Anna grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Very funny, Lily dear," Anna said wryly. "But I'm certainly not giving up that easily."

So for the next five minutes, they scoured the entire room: behind trophies, under them, on top of them, beside them, in the cracks of the walls, on the shelves, and just about every inch of the room. Lily grumbled the entire time while Anna had a small smile on her face, and in the end it was Lily who found the small piece of paper wedged under an award given to someone named Tom Riddle.

"Ooh, open it, what does it say?" Anna asked, striding over to Lily and looking over her shoulder. Lily unfolded the paper and read what it said.

I'm lovesick for you  
My heart is broken.

"That's it?" Anna asked. "What's it supposed to mean?" Lily shrugged.

"I told you this whole thing was a bloody waste of time"

"Now, now, there's no need to get angry," Anna said. "We're both smart, we can figure this out."

"But I don't _care_"

"Two heads are better than one…"

"You make me so mad sometimes."

Meanwhile, James, Sirius, and Remus were all sitting in their dormitory. A very odd sort of tension filled the room; it was neither nervous nor excited.

"I hate to be the one to break the silence, but where's Peter?" Sirius asked.

"Good question," Remus said pensively. "He's been around less and less lately. Has he seemed…weirder to you guys?"

"Er…well, not really, or at least I didn't notice a change," Sirius replied. The room became quiet again. Sirius sighed very loudly and started tapping the wall behind him, clearly uncomfortably in the silence.

"Are you okay, Prongs?" Remus asked seriously, and not without reason to. James' face was unusually pallid and he had barely spoken all day.

"Yes," James said, his voice higher than normal. "Yes. It's just…nervous, you know?" Sirius and Remus nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry about it, everything's going to be fine," Sirius said, waving his hand impatiently. "I mean, we did everything you asked, Anna seems to be managing to keep Lily on with your little plan…what are you so worried about?"

"Dunno," James said, shrugging. "I can't help it. I mean, I've already screwed up once, haven't I?"

Neither Remus nor Sirius could think of something sufficient to reply with, so the three sunk into silence again, only to be interrupted moments later with Peter's clumsy and unceremonious entrance into the dormitory.

It was now well past lunchtime. Lily and Anna were still going through the scavenger hunts clues. So far, they had led them all over the castle: they had been to the hospital wing, the kitchens, the Transfiguration department, an odd, very small room, which was empty except for the clue, their dormitory, somewhere in the dungeons near the Potions classroom, out to Hagrid's hut, and they now found themselves heading towards the Owlery.

"…Anna, this is the biggest waste of time I've ever been a part of, and I seriously am not going to continue on with this anymore!" Lily finished saying, for what felt like the five-thousandth time. Anna had now begun to ignore Lily's complaints and pleas, determinedly following each clue to its next location.

Lily had begun to get more than a little suspicious. She couldn't see why Anna, who was usually so clear-headed and mature, would want to involve herself in something so silly and trivial as some lovesick scavenger hunt. Then there was the fact that she kept dragging Lily along, insisting that she come with her. Lily had started thinking Anna was involved in this somehow.

_Yeah, that'd be typical Anna_, She thought to herself. _Making some stupid plan behind my back to give me some sort of valuable lesson or something like that._

They were now nearing the Owlery, and Lily found herself getting more and more irritated with every step they took. She felt this must be some kind of bad karma, giving her exactly what she deserved for being so rash and hypersensitive to what James had told her. She only half-heartedly helped Anna search the Owlery, partly because she was sick of the whole thing, and partly because thinking of James had made her miserable. After five minutes, Anna yet out a triumphant yell.

"I found it! Here, Lily, read it," She said, thrusting it into Lily's hand. Lily gave her a very obvious eye-rolling. "Oh, go on, read it," Anna reiterated, and Lily reluctantly opened the note and read it. She was immensely relieved to see that it didn't hold any type of riddle, and that it seemed the hunt was over.

Second classroom on the right, Gregory the Smarmy's corridor. 6 o'clock.

"This is so stupid," Lily muttered. "You know this is probably some obsessed twelve-year-old who's just taking advantage of the fact that James and" She stopped, not really wanting to finish her sentence.

"Well, if nothing else, at least you have someone obsessed with you, right?" Anna said, and Lily couldn't help but notice the hint of sarcasm in her voice. She sighed.

"I'm not going," Lily said, walking out of the Owlery. She could hear Anna's steps behind her, but Anna didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"You know you're being really immature about this, don't you?" She finally said, very quietly, almost cautiously. It surprised Lily. She'd never heard Anna speak in such a careful way before. It was always confidence, always straightforward.

"Oh, that's rich, Anna," Lily spat at her. "You led me around on a _scavenger hunt _all day. What are we, five-year-olds? We're not silly little girls anymore, we're not supposed to get all giggly and interested every time any boy looks our way!"

"What's the real reason you're avoiding this?" Anna replied, less carefully this time.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lily said disdainfully, and began walking again. This time she didn't hear Anna's steps behind her, but her words hit Lily extremely hard.

"Listen, Lily, I'm sorry you're this upset about James," She called, and Lily stopped walking away, though she still stayed turned away. "But it's not the end of the world."

Lily couldn't think of how to reply. Anna had just brought up the one subject that Lily did _not _want to talk about, think about, or in any other way associate herself with. Finally, she turned back to face Anna.

"Don't you _dare_ try to trivialize what I'm feeling, you have _no _idea what's going on," She said, her voice bubbling with anger. "I know you think you know everything, that you can fix everything by just talking to me, but things don't always work like that!"

"There's nothing wrong with fighting with him, Lily!" Anna said. "I don't understand why you're…ashamed of it or something. And I don't understand why you're so afraid to talk about it! It's not going to make it better if you just pretend it didn't happen! It happened Lily, and you need to figure out how to deal with it."

"I don't" Lily began, angrier than ever, but she couldn't finish. Her voice broke, and, without any warning, she started sobbing in the middle of the hallway. She stood there, crying for a moment, and Anna came over and hugged her for a little while, not saying anything. After it seemed Lily had cried herself out, she broke away from Anna.

"Well, this is the most emotion you've shown in days," Anna said, grinning a little bit. "It's amazing what I have to go through to get through to you."

"I'm sorry," Lily said miserably, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be mad at James, or me, or whoever else," Anna said. Lily groaned.

"But I didn't have any reason to be mad at him. Why do I have to be such an idiot all the time?" Lily said, barely louder than a whisper. She could feel more tears gathering in her eyes.

"Lily, the best thing about being mad at James," Anna said, smiling, "is that he will always love you, no matter what."

Lily smiled at her, and a tiny part of her knew that Anna was right. Neither one of them said anything for a moment; the silence was only broken by Lily's sniffs.

"Now," Anna began, "we have to figure out who this secret admirer of yours is."

"I don't care," Lily repeated, miserably. Anna let out a small laugh.

"Well, I do, so for my sake, please go," She replied. "You never know, maybe Ludo Bagman came back to Hogwarts just to woo you."

"Oh, now you've really made me want to go," Lily said sarcastically, laughing. They began walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room, and Lily realized that the terrible weight of guilt she used to have was greatly lessened.

James looked at his watch. Five-thirty. He paced around the room. He tried sitting down, but he couldn't keep still.

What was he thinking? This wasn't going to work. He could tell it wouldn't work. Lily would surely think his plan was incredibly childish, and even with Anna helping her along, she certainly wouldn't follow it all the way through. Or maybe she'd figure the whole thing outshe might realize that James was behind all of this, that Anna was in on it, and she'd be so upset at the deception she wouldn't even speak to Anna. Then again, that would be childish as well, and Lily was so mature, she'd never do something like that. Would she?

James shook himself. He was worrying too much. For a moment, he panicked because he thought it was past 6 o'clock already, but calmed down when he looked at his watch. It was only five-forty. _Calm down, _He told himself. _Breathe, everything's going to work out fine, you're over-thinking this…_

He watched as the minutes dragged on. He tried looking away from his watchhe'd always thought the more impatiently you waited for something, the longer it would seem to take. After what seemed like twenty minutes had passed, he allowed himself to look at his watch again, and saw that merely four minutes had gone by.

After a torturous ten minutes, James began to get even more nervous. He was sure she wasn't going to come. He was sure his plan wouldn't work. A moment later, he jumped nearly a foot in the air when he heard someone calling him.

"James! James!" A muffled voice was yelling from somewhere. James pulled out his two-way mirror (who else would be wanting to talk to him at a time like this?).

"_What?_" He asked, looking at Sirius' face staring at him out of the mirror.

"Er…well, I know you're short on time, so I'll just get to the point," Sirius began. "That spell you asked us to look upthe one that was going to make flowers grow from the walls or whatever? It seems Wormtail and I didn't quite get the pronunciation right, and Moony's only just told us we did it wrong…"

"Okay, so why are you telling me this?" James asked, though his stomach was already twisting.

"Well, it seems…" Sirius said, giving James a guilty smile, "it seems that there's not going to be flowers growing from the walls. You might want to get out of there."

James sighed in exasperation. This just figured. His plan hadn't worked, just like he'd expected.

"All right, I'll get out of here," He muttered, stowing the mirror away and striding out of the room.

James decided that though his whole plan was basically ruined, he would at least try and salvage some part of it, so he waited outside the door, leaning against the wall. Sure enough, he saw Lily coming down the hall within two minutes, looking slightly apprehensive. When she reached the door of the classroom, she stopped, noticing James.

"Hey," She said. James was about to start the speech he had planned when she reached for the doorknob. Quickly, James slid over and leaned on the door, therefore stopping her from opening it. He had no idea what exactly Sirius and Peter might have accidentally done, but he knew it couldn't be good.

"Er…sorry, you really can't go in there," James said, grinning sheepishly. Lily looked confused, but she did step away from the door.

"Why not?" She asked. James frantically tried to think of an answer, one that wouldn't incriminate him or show his idea for the total failure it was.

"I…er…well, the thing is…I don't know if I…" He stammered, and Lily's look of confusion became more pronounced.

"Are you…jealous or something?" She asked cautiously. Now it was James' turn to be confused.

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"Oh nothing, you don't know then," She said, looking relieved. "I thought Anna might have told you."

"Wait a minute…jealous…what would I have to be jealous of?" He asked, feeling more angry now, as well as slightly suspicious.

"I told you, nothing, now will you please just let me in this room?" Lily replied, she herself sounding a little angry.

"Sorry, can't," James said defiantly. Lily sighed and stood there for a moment, before reaching for the doorknob again. "You're not going to be able to get it open," James said, almost laughing.

"I'm not, am I?" Lily asked slyly, and she turned the doorknob. For a moment, James thought she was crazy. After all, he was leaning against the door, holding it closed. She wasn't going to be able to get it opening. Then he realized he was stumbling backwards.

James hadn't known the door opened into the room, rather than out of the room. He also hadn't known the extent of Sirius and Peter's mistake, so he didn't expect to fall backwards into a huge puddle of mud. But that's what he did. Sirius and Peter had made some horrific mistake which was now causing alarming amounts of mud to be seeping from the walls onto the floor. James stood up and saw Lily staring into the room; her expression was somewhere between bewilderment and trying not to laugh.

"Oh," She said, smiling now. "I think I get it now. _You're _the one I was supposed to be meeting here, aren't you?"

"Well, who did you think you were meeting?" James asked rather irritably, due to the fact that he was covered in mud.

"I had no idea," Lily said, stepping into the room and closing the door, trying to stop the mud from going out the door and into the corridor. "Although, now that I think of it, it fits. You got Anna to drag me along on that thing today, didn't you?"

"Yes," James replied bitterly, trying to wipe the mud off his arms.

"You did all that to bring me into a room filled with mud?" Lily asked, and James detected that she was trying not to laugh.

"Obviously not. This was Sirius and Peter's fault," James replied, even more irritated. Lily shook her head.

"Did you do _all _this," Lily asked, "just to try and get me to…forgive you or something?" Neither of them spoke for a moment. James wiped more mud off himself.

"I suppose," He replied, almost defiantly, as if daring her to laugh or make fun of him. He was all of a sudden intensely aware that this was the most he and Lily had talked, the closest they'd been, for several days now. At that same time, he also became aware that they were standing in a foot deep of mud.

Lily walked over towards him (with some difficulty, as the mud was extremely thick), and hugged him. James wasn't quite sure how to take this. Though he was glad that Lily was hugging him rather than hitting him, it was a bit of a shock nonetheless. He settled for absentmindedly patting her on the back.

"Er…are you okay with this, then?" James asked, trying to understand what was going on. "Are you not mad? Do you forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me," Lily said, stepping away from James. James noticed her arms were covered in mud. He wondered why he would need to forgive her.

"Well, all right then, I forgive you, though I don't know why," James said, shrugging.

"Then I forgive you," Lily said, smiling. "Thank you for the…er… mud-filled room. It's very romantic."

"Ha ha, very funny," James said. "It really isn't my fault, I made the mistake of getting Sirius and Peter to handle this end of it. They probably did it on purpose to make me look like an idiot."

"I don't mind," Lily said. "I've missed you."

It heartened James a lot to know that she had actually missed him. He decided this whole day hadn't been a total loss. He leaned in to kiss Lily

"Prongs! Hey, Prongs!" James heard the muffled voice yell. With a noise of exasperation, he pulled it out from his pocket and saw Sirius' face staring at him again.

"Damn it, Sirius, what do you want?" James hissed at him.

"Turns out that room's going to be filled with mud, so you might want to make sure Lily doesn't go in there," Sirius said. James opened his mouth several times to try and reply, but it seemed he couldn't quite find the words.

"All right, Sirius," He finally said, giving him a pained smile. "Good-bye." He put the mirror back in his pocket, and noticed that he had quite forgotten the mud seeping out of the walls, and now filling over two feet of the room.

"Hmm…I suppose we should do something about this," Lily said, looking around the room. "What kind of charm were you" She began, but was interrupted by screams from out in the corridor.

"What's that?" James asked, and both he and Lily moved towards the door (again, with difficulty). They had hardly reached it when it flew open to reveal Professor McGonagall.

She went on to yell at them for several minutes before vanishing the mud and ending the spell that Sirius and Peter had ruined. She, of course, didn't know that it was Sirius and Peter who had caused this, so she made both of them walk up to her office, no doubt to receive their punishment.

As Lily and James walked behind the angry Professor McGonagall, covered in mud, about to be punished, neither one of them could think of a time when they had ever been happier in their lives.

****

**Author's Note:** Well, there's the chapter. And now I have some really bad news: I'm not going to be continuing writing this story. I reread it last night and for some reason I just don't like it anymore. I think it's badly written and I just don't want to keep adding onto a bad story. I'm really sorry about this, but I can't help it…………ha, just kidding! It is April Fools' today, you know. Oh well, at least it is here, so I apologize to people in different time zones or whatever who have already had or are going to have April Fools'. And to the people who read this a week from now. I'm sorry if I caused anyone serious injury. I would never do that to you! I love my story (although I did read it last night and I found myself thinking at several points, "Why would I write something like that? That's just weird!"), and I wouldn't stop writing unless there was a really important reason.

You know, a really good reason like not getting enough reviews. I'm kidding again. But I would love you to review.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Author's Note:** I suppose an apology is in order due to the late update, per usual. This time, however I have legitimate (somewhat) excuses. So, from April 1st until now, I have: prepared for and taken my AP European History test, had two different family member visit, dealt with reading many superfluous books in English (including Shakespeare--and that stuff is not easy to muddle through), taken a math test which managed to _finally_ bump my grade up to an A (yes!), memorized several things for Drama class, dealt with the stress of moving and excitement of the end of school, studied for finals, written a monologue, and finished this! Whew! My mom has been going to college and is taking four English classes, so she spend about a trillion hours on the computer for the past two weeks…so I've barely been on at all!

And yes, you read right, the stress of moving--coming this fall, I will be moving back to Canada, where I was born and all of my extended family lives. Scary! I'll probably provide you with more info vis-á-vis updating this story over the summer later, as I'm not really sure what my vacation/moving plans are. But I'm thinking that since I'll be out of school by Thursday, sitting at home with nothing to do but watching Jerry Springer all the time, I'll find myself writing much more often than I am now. Keep your fingers crossed!

Okay, okay, enough of the author's note, you're saying--we're not paying her to blah blah blah about her boring life. And you're right. In fact, you don't pay me at all.

Oh, one more thing--thank you to all the luuuurvely people who reviewed: **Iceglitter**, **shannon flannigan** (double thanks, for two reviews!), **fatcat**, **Tiggerbelle**, **spix, thescottishcat** (double thanks to you too!), **Saer**, **Jersey Princess**, **Irish Lady Knight** (you have to remember two things in that conversation: Lupin and Lily had known each other for quite a while already, and also, his friends found out themselves, so he didn't technically tell them!)

Okay, now you can read. J

Chapter Nineteen

Lord Voldemort sat alone, waiting. He found himself waiting more often than not these days, since it was now too dangerous for him to openly conduct his work. Now his plans were all stealth, secrecy, and carefully hidden. He knew one wrong step by any one of his followers could reveal everything. Yet at the same time, he also knew that even if his plans were revealed, he would not be ruined. Lord Voldemort _could not _be ruined.

He also often wondered whether it was quite wise to trust everything to his followers. Some of them were undoubtedly intelligent, but were they loyal? Could he be sure that they would follow him through everything--even until death? Or would they, when that moment came, abandon him? They would surely be sorry if that was the case. Voldemort rewarded his greatest followers, and he could certainly give the disloyal what they deserved.

A knock at the door stirred him from his reverie. For a moment he wondered why someone was disturbing him, then remembered that he had asked Lucius Malfoy to come to him.

"Enter," He spoke. Lucius Malfoy came in and inclined his head slightly, either out of respect or fear. Voldemort neither knew nor cared. His patience had suddenly become thin.

"My Lord," Malfoy began, "you asked to see me?"

"Yes, Lucius, so I did," Voldemort said. "I wish to know of the operations at Hogwarts."

"There is…little, if nothing to tell, my Lord," Malfoy said, slightly hesitantly. "Everything goes smoothly, though discreetly. We cannot dare to operate under Dumbledore's very nose, but there are still those loyal to you."

"And Dumbledore does not notice?" Voldemort mused. "Or perhaps he thinks it is of no concern…well, he is certainly wrong there. Then you have nothing to report to me, Lucius?"

Malfoy shifted, detecting the impatience in Voldemort's voice. "It seems we can do very little there at the moment, my Lord," Malfoy replied. "Though no doubt we _could _increase our operations there in ways that would seem unconnected to you."

"You have a plan, Lucius?" Voldemort said, sounding incredulous. "Then by all means, do not hide it from me."

"Those who are loyal to you," Malfoy began, "could possibly begin smaller scale attacks on some of your enemies that are also there--"

"What do you propose they do, Lucius? Attack Dumbledore while he sleeps? There is nothing they can do in this situation."

"N-no, my Lord, I meant people you are meaning to deal with at one point anyway, such as James Potter--" Malfoy said quickly, but fell silent at the look on Voldemort's face, one of icy fury. At long last, Voldemort spoke, but it was not with the rage Malfoy had seen in his eyes. He had retained his oily, condescending tone once again.

"You are growing altogether too restless on the Potter situation, Lucius," He said. "Do not be foolish and let your emotions get in the way of your duty. Do not question my plans."

"I only meant, my Lord, that it seems foolish to wait so long to--"

"You think me a fool as well, Lucius?" Voldemort interrupted quietly, but the words hit Malfoy with great force.

"My Lord, no, no, of course, I would never--"

"If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it. Do you not think that I have thought through every detail of every plan we have ever made? Has anything we have ever done truly failed? Have I ever given you a reason to question what I have said or done?" Voldemort asked menacingly. Malfoy, who seemed to have lost the ability to speak, simply shook his head.

"Good, Lucius," Voldemort said. "Take care you remember this conversation. The next time you question me, I will make sure you never do so again."

* * *

February passed in a blur of wind and rain, with nothing very interesting happening at all. James and Lily hadn't been severely punished for the mud fiasco, though McGonagall had put them on extra corridor patrol at nights for two weeks. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw met on the Quidditch field, with Ravenclaw emerging as the winners of the match. This placed Gryffindor as the favorite for the Quidditch Cup this year, though no one celebrated this much--the Gryffindors had won the last five Cups, so they had grown to almost expecting it. Snape had ended up in the Hospital Wing towards the end of February, due to James and Sirius. Lily had reprehended James quite severely for this, but her anger didn't last for long. A small part of her knew that Snape had gotten what he deserved.

It was late afternoon on a Wednesday evening when Lily sat doing her Charms homework in the Common Room. She hadn't seen James much today, and vaguely wondered where he was. It disturbed her even more that when she _had _seen him, he had seemed like he was distinctly trying to avoid her. Just as she thought of going to look for him, he came through the portrait hole. Seeing her, he walked over and sat down across the table from her.

"Hey there, stranger," Lily said, smiling. "Where have you been all day?"

"Oh, well, I…you know," He replied. Lily frowned.

"Erm…okay," She said. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to remind you, we have patrol again tonight. Not late though, only until 10."

"Uh-huh," James replied, and something in his tone told her he had already remembered their duty. She noticed how he kept running his hands through his hair. It was funny to her how something that used to be so annoying had become so endearing. One thing she knew, though, was that he was nervous--he always messed with his hair when he was nervous.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked. "You seem kind of shaken or something."

"Er…well…there's this thing," James said, and took a deep breath. "I can't patrol with you tonight."

Lily thought it was very weird how nervous he was just to try and get that out. She studied him. Yes, there was definitely something wrong with him. He was fidgeting a lot, for one thing, and he was purposely avoiding eye contact with her. Well, she'd see if she couldn't get it out of him.

"Why?" She asked bluntly, and she could tell this threw him off. She noticed that he tried to regain his cool very quickly, and suddenly tried to look nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Oh, well, Sirius and I had a little run-in with Snape again, so McGonagall gave us detention again tonight," He said, shrugging. "No big deal."

Lily considered this. He was certainly risking a lot, offering the Snape story as an excuse. He was risking incurring her anger again, which made her wonder: what was it that she would get _so _upset about that he was willing to lie and still have her get mad at him?

"Okay," Lily said, shrugging. She could see this threw him off too. He'd obviously been expecting her to yell at him.

"So…you're not upset, then?" He offered. She shrugged again.

"Like you said, no big deal. I'm jealous of you, actually. I'd certainly like to be off duty." James was still clearly confused by this turn of events. It seemed, however, that even confusion wouldn't get him to spill the truth. After stuttering out a goodbye and ambling out of the Common Room, Lily was still curious. He was hiding something from her again, and she didn't like it when he did so. It caused too much conflict between the two of them. Though she had begun to train herself not to overreact, she had a feeling this might be something important.

She stared out the window at the already visible full moon, as if the answers were written on the darkening sky. Nothing came to her, and so she went back to her homework, trying and failing to keep her mind off her confusion.

* * *

"What did she say?"

"Did you tell her?"

James had rejoined Sirius and Peter in the kitchens, where they were both eating of a plate of pastries. It looked as though in the time he had been gone, they had eaten about 12 eclairs between the two of them. He slumped down on a bench next to Sirius and took a scone.

"Something weird just happened," James said, looking around at them. He could tell they were both avidly interested. "She…well, she did try and get me to tell her why I couldn't go with her tonight, but then she just gave up."

"Huh," Sirius said, "that seems off somehow."

"You're telling me," James said thickly, since he'd just bitten into his scone. The three of them sat in confused silence for a few moments.

"Well…I…maybe she…" Sirius stammered, but fell quiet again, though he continued to open his mouth several times as if to say something. Finally, he said, "Well, you didn't tell her already, did you?"

"No! Of course not!" James said indignantly.

"All right, all right, I was just checking," Sirius said. "Anyway, why are we worrying about it? She obviously hasn't caught on, and doesn't seem to care very much, so there's no problem!"

Peter nodded in agreement, though somewhat half-heartedly, but James wasn't so easily convinced. He looked around at his two friends and sighed in resignation.

"We'd better be extra careful tonight, that's all I'm saying," He muttered, and Sirius and Peter began a fervent discussion about Quidditch teams.

* * *

It was later that night, and Lily was walking the corridors as McGonagall had assigned her to do, minus James because of his "detention". Moonlight shone through the windows, making the halls even spookier than they normally would have been at night when you were alone. She sighed, and the noise reverberated around her.

She had made her way up to North Tower for some strange reason; she normally wouldn't have walked so far just to patrol, especially when she was by herself. Inexplicably, she'd felt drawn here, even if it was creeping her out a bit. She leaned against a windowsill and looked out at the grounds below her. A light mist was covering everything, and it made her shiver.

What was James up to? It had taken Lily a while to figure out that she was merely more intrigued in what he was doing than upset with him for lying. Still, she had never expected James to be so complicated. Two years ago, if you'd asked her to guess what went through his head, it would have been mostly filled with Quidditch and preserving his "image". Now he was much too confusing for her the majority of the time.

She started slightly when she heard noises from below her, echoing from some hallway nearby. Listening carefully, she tried to guess who it might be. She certainly didn't want to run into a group of Slytherins alone. The people, however, were making too much noise to be doing anything so important they couldn't risk getting caught. She figured it must be some younger students, so she set off in the direction the voices were coming from.

Lily figured she must be going the right way, because the voices were getting slightly louder with each corner she turned. One of the voices sounded ver familiar indeed, but with all the echoing and intermingling of the other two speakers, she couldn't quite figure it out. Suddenly, she rounded a corner, there was an audible gasp and frantic shushing noises. Oddly, she couldn't see anyone down the hall.

"Hello?" She said, sounding much more timid than she had meant to. She cleared her throat and tried again, "Is anyone there?" There were sounds of footsteps coming towards her, but there was still nothing there. Moreover, it sounded like whatever it was that she couldn't see had at least four legs. The steps were closer, closer, closer, and she could tell whoever or whatever it was was trying to keep as quiet as they could.

She could now tell the…well…the _thing_ was beside her, and she only then became aware that she was slightly frightened and chances were since the Thing was invisible in some way, it clearly had the advantage. Without thinking, she took a step backwards and collided into something solid.

She screamed in spite of herself and jumped about two feet forwards, her heart hammering violently against her chest. She heard a muffled yell from where she'd just run into and this scared her even more. Then, to top it off, James emerged from thin air in front of her, which was enough to scare the living daylights out of anybody.

"Lily, Lily, shhh, be quiet!" James said, rushing towards her and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"How--I thought you said that you had detention!" Lily said, avoiding the question of how he'd just _appeared_ like that.

"I know I did, but right now--" James stopped short and looked as though he was listening carefully. For a moment, Lily couldn't hear anything and thought James might just be trying to distract her, but then she heard what he was listening to--footsteps, getting closer, and a voice that was unmistakably Professor McGonagall's. "Damn it," James said, letting go of Lily and backing away. "Lily, just don't freak out, okay--don't say anything about us being here. Just…just stay cool, okay?" He finished lamely, and for the second time he disappeared from where he had been standing.

Footsteps were now ringing through the hall behind her, she turned around to see McGonagall come whipping around the corner. She was still quite in a state of shock, but she tried to shake it off, feeling that whatever James was doing would certainly warrant some kind of punishment. Professor McGonagall finally reached her, her nostrils slightly flaring--she looked pretty angry.

"Ms. Evans, may I ask what you are doing at _ten o'clock at night_ in the middle of the corridors shrieking like some brainless ninny?" Professor McGonagall asked impatiently. "What on Earth is wrong, you silly girl?"

"Oh, Professor McGonagall, I'm so sorry, it's just that I…" Lily began nervously. She didn't know how to explain--she certainly couldn't tell the truth, but not one believable lie came to her mind. She had never noticed how intimidating Professor McGonagall could be…what could she do?

"Well? What is it?" McGonagall snapped, bringing Lily back to her senses. She remembered James standing behind her somewhere…what would he do?

"It's so silly, really," Lily said, feigning embarrassment, "it's just it gets so scary all alone in the corridors at night, and I…I saw a mouse and it startled me so, Professor. I hope I haven't caused any problems."

Professor McGonagall seemed to deflate slightly. She sighed heavily, reprimanded Lily for causing noise again, and swept off. When she was out of sight, Lily turned around to see not just James, but Sirius and Peter appearing in front of her. Sirius was clutching a silvery cloak, and both he and Peter looked very nervous--in fact, they muttered incomprehensible good-byes before quickly departing. Lily and James stood facing each other in silence for nearly a minute before it was broken.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd explain what that was all about," Lily said coldly.

* * *

James sat across from Lily in the Gryffindor Common Room. It was very late at night and he was tired, but he had a feeling that this whole ordeal should be settled before the morning. Lily, on the plus side, didn't look as angry as James would have expected her to be. All the same, he still couldn't find a way to begin his explanation.

"If you wanted to hang out with Sirius and Peter that badly, you could have just said so," Lily said, smiling weakly. James almost laughed but decided that it wouldn't exactly be a great start to a serious conversation.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I shouldn't have lied to you about this and I shouldn't have made you lie to McGonagall."

"I was just kidding around," Lily replied.

"If you knew the whole story…" James began, but changed direction mid-sentence, "I don't want to lie to you about things."

Lily seemed wrong-footed by this simple sentence. "So then tell me the truth," She said finally. James leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his hair. He wasn't sure how much of the truth he should tell her. After all, there were parts of it that he felt were not his to reveal to her.

"I…I can't tell you everything," James stated. "I don't feel like I should be the one to be telling other people's secrets. What…what is it that you want to know exactly?"

"Well, for starters, how did you just appear like that, out of nowhere?" She asked. "You scared me to death!"

"Oh…Invisibility Cloak," James replied. "I found it in the attic in a box of my dad's old stuff. I figured no one was using it, so I took it for myself. I don't think my dad ever noticed it was gone." Lily looked as though she were about to chastise James for stealing his father's possessions, but then lost the energy for it.

"And…where were you guys going?" She asked.

"That's something I can't tell you," James said.

"But why? Do you think I'm going to be angry with you?" Lily interrupted. James sighed, trying to think of a good answer.

"Because…first of all, it involves other people, and, like I said, I don't want to tell other people's secrets," James said, and he could see he hadn't satisfied her yet, so he continued. "And also because I know you--and if I were to tell you about this, you'd probably feel obligated to tell someone about it."

"James, are you doing something dangerous or illegal?" She said impatiently. He noted that her tone indicated she wouldn't be surprised if he were.

"Er…yes and yes," He replied warily. "But…even though I know you'd think otherwise, this is something more important than being in danger or doing something illegal."

"How so? You could go to jail if you're doing something illegal!" Lily persisted.

"Well, it's as important as…let's say it was illegal for me to be in love with you, I would still do it anyway, because you are more important to me than some silly law," James said.

"So you're not going to tell me where you were going?" Lily asked, sighing.

"I was trying to help a friend," James said. He leaned forward and took Lily's hand. "One day, I'll be able to tell you everything about everything I've ever done. But now…now is not the right time. Please don't worry about me. Everything's going to be fine."

Lily studied James for a moment. He hoped that she would finally let the subject alone now, because he was running out of clever sentences. Finally, she smiled and kissed him. James let out a breath of relief that he had managed to make it through the conversation alive.

He stood up, yawning, once again reminded of how extremely tired he was. Lily stood up as well.

"You know, you never did apologize for scaring me so badly," She said as they walked towards the spiral staircase. James laughed.

"You should have seen your face when you ran into us, you sort of seized up and shrieked with this panicked look on your face--"

"Oh, yes, it's all very funny, isn't it?"

"Actually, it really is…"

So James went to bed, and for the first time in a while, he felt like things were perfectly right again.

****

**Author's Note:** Well, there it is, finally done! I know it took forever, but hopefully you still have a place for me in your heart. I feel like I'm getting less and less reviews every chapter, which is disheartening. I hope I'm not chasing anyone off by being lame about updating. If you like the story, please please _please_ review, because my fire of writing is fueled by lots of reviews.

On another note, I was rereading the last chapter and noticed isn't putting the hyphens in where I place them when I write it. What's that all about? Anyway, I'm a total perfectionist so it really irritated me to see the blatant bad grammar and mistakes (gasp!) that the hyphen disappearance caused. So I'm going to try and fix that for this chapter, and if it doesn't work, well, I hope you're not all as irritated with typos as I am.

I'm now officially finished with school, so hopefully there will be an update sooner rather than later…of course, it always helps me write when people review…ahem…


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Author's Note:** Hey…isn't this amazing? I'm updating in only a little over a WEEK! I'm surprised at myself, actually. Well, anyhow…I thought this was a good chapter, so perhaps that's why I was able to write it so fast. Also because I have no school or homework (YES!). Anyway, I've been reading my other fanfic--my really _old _one about Lily and James, which, on the bright side, was much funnier than this one, but also much more immature in many ways. It's weird to see how different my writing is. And I was also reading this one, realizing how much stuff I've written that I completely **forgot** I wrote. Including the fact that Petunia is getting married, and thanks mucho to **PsychoLeopard **for pointing out that Sirius also was in the loop about the whole Lily-knowing-about-Remus thing. Okay, I'm blabbing again.

_Merci beaucoup_ to: **PsychoLeopard** (triple thanks…yes, the Sims 2 is addicting. I agree with the not perfect assessment, there are things I wouldn't have done in this story too…and the character development is slow because they're all basically as developed as they're going to get!), **angelic little flower** (thanks…Lily doesn't have too many good friends, other than Anna and James…there are some acquaintances, but they'd just clutter up the story!), **Windowseat Wonderer**, **Mei1105**, **katmiester** (well, I can't speak for everyone on AP Euro…because my teacher was TERRIBLE! However, if you buy the REA Test Prep book and study from that, it should be fine…that's what I did and I'm pretty sure I passed the test. But I've never taken AP Bio, and what a coincidence, my Biology teacher was awful too!), **Jersey Princess**, **spix** (good suggestion…although for once I've actually updated in a reasonable amount of time, so I hope I didn't need to do that this time!)

Whew…that was a long thanks! Now onto the reading!

Chapter Twenty

When Remus returned after full moon, he was slightly puzzled to why his friends had never shown up for their monthly roaming of the grounds. Though he tried to mask the offense he'd taken at this, when he heard that Lily had been why they'd been prevented, he'd been confused.

"But I've already told her I'm a werewolf," Remus said to James in their dormitory. "Didn't you tell her about the Animagi stuff?"

James was slightly surprised that Lily had known without him knowing. He was even more surprised to hear that Sirius knew that Lily had been told all about it. However, for some reason, he still put off telling her about being an Animagus. He felt bad about betraying Dumbledore, though he'd never mentioned it to anyone, and he didn't think he could handle feeling bad about hiding it from Lily either. Therefore, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

* * *

March was a relatively boring month at Hogwarts. James and Lily managed to make it through an entire month without any type of confrontation or problem. Everything went back to status quo, and the Hogwarts castle felt tense, as if everyone were waiting for spring to come and let them outside. 

April arrived, and everyone in seventh year was in agreement that it was one of the worst times they'd ever spent at Hogwarts. By the middle of the month, three people had fainted in various Potions classes, four had transfigured parts of their own or others' bodies horribly wrong, and six more had suffered some form of a nervous breakdown. NEWTs were arriving quickly, and the pressure was becoming overwhelming.

Everyone seemed to have been infected with a studying plague, stemming from the teachers--their lectures, which they may have intended to be "inspirational", sounded ominous and extremely dire to all the students. Every night, the library had more people in it, studying later and later. The Common Rooms were filled with seventh years flipping through textbooks and scribbling down notes.

On the brighter side of things, they all realized that after this year, they were free to go and do what ever they wanted to. To some, such as James and Sirius, this was an intriguing opportunity, while to some others, it seemed intimidating.

Finally, May came, bringing the first hints of summer, more and more schoolwork, and a little more light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

On a Tuesday morning, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all sitting eating breakfast in the Great Hall, discussing the soon-approaching Quidditch match (Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff). Hints of sunlight peeked out over the grounds, and they all remarked that it might be at least mild weather for the match. The Gryffindor team was, as always, the favorite for the Quidditch Cup. 

As they continued to discuss Quidditch, they moved on to talking about the Quidditch World Cup that would be occurring over the summer, and how they all wished they could somehow get tickets. Peter was sure he wasn't going to be able to go because he was dead broke (as usual), Remus remarked that even if he did manage to scrounge money together for a ticket, by the time he did it would have already been sold out, and Sirius said it was amusing to even think that his parents would actually do something nice for him. While James nodded with them and expressed with fervor his desire to go, he secretly thought his father might have managed to get him a ticket through Ministry connections--he didn't want to mention it to his friends because although he had asked his father for extra tickets, he wasn't sure if they'd be able to go.

The morning post arrived with a flurry of owls, and, to his surprise, James found an envelope being dropped in front of him. He looked at the sender's address, and was even more surprised to see it was sent by his parents. He picked it up, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all watching him, and opened it. It was written by his father.

Dear James,

How are you? I'm sure this letter will bring you and your friends much excitement, and I will feel extremely relieved, as you've been hounding me for months about this. I finally got ahold of the Department of Magical Games and Sports (after they ignored my owls for a month and a half), and they gave me six tickets to the Quidditch World Cup this summer. I certainly hope this is enough to bring all of your friends, because I really can't get any more. I'm keeping the tickets at home, so they won't get stolen by anyone or "lost" by you. I know you think you are extremely responsible, but I'd never live it down if I had to write them back and explain I needed more tickets.

Your mother says to tell you that she hopes you're buckling down and studying very hard, and also to tell Sirius that if he wants to come visit again this summer, he's welcome to. And also that while she is wary about you inviting your girlfriend to the World Cup, she won't forbid you to. And also that she wants you to come home for at least a week at the beginning of the summer. And--well, never mind, I could be here for an hour if I keep adding things on. Good luck in your exams, and we'll see you when school lets out.

Love, Dad

James sat in shock. Sirius, Remus, and Peter had restarted conversation again, this time talking about how much homework they had. Only after two minutes had passed with James rereading the letter over and over again, did Sirius look at him.

"What's wrong with you, mate?" He asked, rather thickly, as he'd just shoved a piece of toast in his mouth.

"I…er…" James began, but cleared his throat, "I wouldn't be so sure about us not going to the World Cup this summer."

"What are you talking about? Between the four of us, the only way we'd get in is on sympathy," Sirius said. Peter nodded glumly.

"Unless someone else got us tickets," said James. "Someone like my dad."

"Yes, yes, in a lovely, theoretical world, I suppose that would be another solution," Sirius said, picking up a piece of bacon. James paused, partly for dramatic purposes, but also because he'd never heard Sirius say a word with so many syllables as _theoretical_.

"Well, welcome to the theoretical world," James said, grinning. "Because someone's got six tickets to the World Cup, and that someone is me."

The response was somewhat comical. Sirius started coughing because he'd choked on his piece of bacon, Peter tipped his plate and it fell into his lap, Remus' mouth dropped open and he stared at James.

"_You've_ got tickets?" Remus asked. "How?"

"Well, my dad has them, technically, but he got them from the Ministry for me," James replied. "For us." He handed the three of them the letter, and he watched their expressions of shock as they read it. Sirius was the first one to look up, grinning from ear to ear.

"Bloody hell," He said. "This is fantastic! I can't believe your dad managed to do this!"

"I never thought I'd go to a World Cup!" Peter squeaked at James.

As they collected their things and headed towards Charms class, Sirius and Peter walked ahead of Remus and James, talking animatedly about how amazing the game was going to be and how they hoped they'd get good seats. Remus smirked at James.

"So, you're going to invite Lily, then?" He asked, in a would-be casual voice. James reddened slightly.

"Well, I don't know…I mean, we do have extra tickets, and I wouldn't want them to go to waste…" James replied; though he knew Remus was too smart to be fooled by that.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't," Remus said, shrugging. "Only, I'd try and make sure Sirius doesn't know about it, because we both know he's going to make fun of you for weeks."

All during Charms, James contemplated this. Yes, Sirius would definitely make fun of James, if only because James and Lily would probably be sleeping within a relatively short distance of one another. He assumed this must be the reason that his mother was "wary" about him inviting Lily as well.

And, in truth, James thought, it would be a little weird to be staying in the same space as Lily. Not that he wouldn't like to spend time with her, but it would be somewhat uncomfortable…almost like living with her. Not to mention the fact that his friends (Sirius in particular) would be watching the two of them like hawks.

He wondered, in fact, if Lily would even come. Would she think that this was his way of taking their relationship further? Would the whole idea of it freak her out? True, they would be going to Italy, so perhaps she'd misunderstand his intentions because of the romantic setting. James explored the idea of them being alone together…so many things could happen…

"James! JAMES!" Sirius yelled, making James start.

"Oh, sorry," James said. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him.

"You should have seen yourself…you had this stupid smile on your face. I thought Wormtail might've aimed the wrong way with his Cheering Charm again," Sirius said. "Anyway, Flitwick's coming this way, you'd better at least _look _like you're doing something."

James picked up his wand and turned his book to the page on Cheering Charms, though his head was back to the situation with Lily. He realized that even though _he _might be open to advancing things in their relationship, Lily probably wouldn't feel the same way. And he knew that things could end up a disaster if he didn't respect that.

Looks like he was going to have to exercise some self-control, something James knew from experience was not his strong point.

* * *

Lily was sitting beside James in Potions in a haze of fumes from the Strengthening Solution they were reviewing. She could tell something was up with James, and it wasn't a fume headache, that was for sure. _Why does there always have to be something bothering him?_ She wondered to herself. 

"Are you okay?" She muttered to him, as quietly as possible. The last thing either of them needed was any of the Slytherins joining their conversation.

"Well…er…I'll talk to you about it after class," He said, looking furtive. Lily sighed, knowing that more often than not the path of least resistance was easiest with her boyfriend. They spent another half-hour in the sweltering dungeon classroom until the bell rang, and then walked out of class together, towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Sooo…" Lily said in response to James' silence, "What's up?"

"What are you doing this summer?" James asked her suddenly. She was puzzled by the question, but answered any way, hoping her answer would help him somehow get to what was really bothering him.

"Mostly trying to figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my life," Lily said airily. "But visiting my parents, I suppose. And hopefully spending some time with you."

James smiled weakly. "Funny you should mention that, actually," He said. "Because my dad--"

"Lily! James!" Both James and Lily looked behind them to see Anna trying to catch up with them.

"Lily, what I was going to say was--" James said, but Anna had reached them, and she had started talking.

"We're going up to North Tower," She stated, and wasting no time, began walking. "Sirius told me this morning he was going to have some sort of idiotic…what did he say…oh, it doesn't matter, it was something like 'duel to the death' with Snape. Anyway, the point is, he's going to get either blasted into oblivion by a gang of Slytherins, or if he manages to escape that, McGonagall's going to slaughter him."

Lily and James, who had been following Anna in some trepidation, were not too happy about this. James swore and started walking faster, so Lily and Anna were nearly running to keep up his pace.

By the time they reached North Tower, they could see Snape and a group of five or six Slytherins facing Sirius and Peter at the end of a corridor. Peter looked terrified, as he always did in confrontation, and Sirius seemed to be trying desperately to look intimidating when he was clearly outnumbered. Both Sirius and Snape had their wands drawn.

Everyone seemed to notice Lily, Anna, and James coming down the hallway. Snape had a satisfied sneer on his face, and Sirius looked slightly relieved (though nothing in comparison to Peter's relief at having three more people on their side).

"What the hell d'you think you're doing?" James said angrily. Lily could tell he was directing this more at Sirius than Snape, but Sirius didn't notice it.

"Oh look, it's Hogwarts's cutest couple come to the rescue," Snape snapped.

"Listen, Snape, I don't know what's going on here, but if you don't get out of here right now, Dumbledore's going to hear about this," James replied, with similar tones of irritation.

"Funny, Potter," Snape replied, "I never took you to be the type of person who went running scared." Lily saw James redden.

"Snape, take your friends and get lost," Lily said bossily, not knowing whether she was being brave or simply stupid. Snape turned his head towards her, then back to James.

"I also never took you to be the type of person who bestowed sympathy on other people. Especially," He said to James, with a gleam in his eye, "filthy mudbloods like her."

"You say that one more time, you're going to have a lot more to worry about than a detention, _Snivellus_," James snapped, looking livid. He'd drawn his wand.

"James, don't," Lily said; though she was slightly mollified by his anger on her behalf. However, she knew that this situation could definitely escalate to something disastrous.

"We're not kidding Snape, get out of here. I hardly doubt if Dumbledore hears about this he'll be so kind to let you off with just a detention," Anna said, finally joining the conversation.

Snape smirked. "How right you are," He replied. "Wouldn't want to get in too much trouble…then I might not get another chance to kill Black."

"Oh, don't kid yourself, Snivellus. You never had a chance at that," Sirius called at him. Snape kept the smirk on his face.

"Maybe not yet," He said, then beckoned to his cronies. As they slunk off, everyone breathed a collective sigh. James, however, rounded on Sirius.

"Sirius, what did you think you were doing?" He said aggressively. Sirius shrugged, looking like the whole thing was of no concern. "I'm not joking around, Sirius! You could have got yourself and Peter killed!"

"Oh, right. Like Snape ever would have been able to_ kill_ us," Sirius said sarcastically.

"Sirius, you know just as well as I do that he's perfectly capable of killing someone," James said. "He's up to his eyes in the Dark Arts, he hates you, and he's basically insane. I can't believe you'd think that you could actually take a group of Slytherins on!"

"Peter would have helped me," Sirius said nonchalantly.

"Sirius, don't be ridiculous! You two would have been taken out before you could even raise your wands!" James said. He was yelling now. "And where the hell is Remus?"

"Library," Sirius said.

"I'm guessing you didn't tell him about this little escapade?" James said. Sirius shook his head and let out a bark of laughter.

"That would have gone over well. He would never have let us come up here," Sirius said.

"Well, it's about time someone tried to control you! If I could count all the idiotic, immature things you've done…" James said. Sirius looked affronted, and when he next spoke, he didn't sound so casual about the whole thing.

"Hey, that's me, your best friend, who you're calling idiotic and immature," He said. "And might I remind you that most of those things were done alongside _you_."

"Sirius, get this through your head: you are too old to be running around the castle hexing people because they looked at you the wrong way," James said. Sirius looked as angry as James now.

"And what, you think you're so mature?" He shot back at him.

"Well, for one, I'm not the one who's picking fights I can't win!" James yelled back.

"James, don't think you're so much better than me. Your girlfriend _hated _you for six years because you had such a bad superiority complex," Sirius said. Lily didn't like the fact that she was being brought into this argument, but before she could protest, James had started in on Sirius again.

"Well, if it's going to take you six years for you to mature, I'll see you then!" James said. He turned around and stormed away from the group, disappearing around a corner.

Dead silence fell in the corridor. Sirius looked somewhat strangled, Peter was wide-eyed, and Anna looked slightly puzzled. She looked at Lily, and, as they had many times before, they understood each other immediately: Lily was going to go after James and try and repair the situation, while Anna would stay with Sirius and Peter and do more of the same.

As Lily went after James, who seemed to be walking very fast, she was still in a mild state of shock. She had never, ever seen James and Sirius fight about even the smallest thing, and now they were furious with each other. In addition, she was surprised to see James admonishing Sirius for something like goading Snape, when he himself had done the same thing many times before.

She reached the Fat Lady's portrait just in time to see James climbing out of the portrait hole, Invisibility Cloak in hand.

* * *

James and Lily were sitting across from each other on the floor of the Astronomy Tower. They had just walked up there, and neither of them had addressed each other. 

"Well…er…are you all right?" Lily asked, clearly concerned. James couldn't blame her. Even now, when he thought about the fight that he and Sirius had had, he felt ashamed. When he didn't reply, she tried again. "I didn't know when I woke up this morning that I would be witnessing World War III."

James smiled weakly, but honestly didn't think it was very funny. He'd never fought with Sirius. Ever. They'd always been united against everything that came their way, and it was disconcerting to be on opposite sides of something.

"I'm such an idiot," He muttered. He heard Lily sigh, but he eyes were fixed on the ground.

"Not so much an idiot. You were really angry," Lily said quietly. "I'm just confused as to what made you go ballistic like that."

James knew why he had gotten so upset, why his temper had flared like that, but he wasn't sure he wanted to admit it. However, he figured that if Lily was going to be his only friend in this, he might as well tell her.

"It was…it's kind of hard to explain," He stated, somewhat lamely. "There were a lot of different reasons. The first reason I was mad at him was kind of more about me than him, actually. Sometimes, it makes me feel really…ashamed, I suppose, when I realize that _I _used to do that sort of stuff. I don't like it being shoved in my face how reckless I used to be. Not that I'm that different, really, because I know I'm no paragon of maturity or anything, but still…"

"James, you are different than you used to be," Lily said in a reassuring voice. "I think Sirius just doesn't want to lose those good times the two of you used to have together."

"The big reason, though, was that…" James trailed off, looking for words. He had chosen to ignore what Lily had said, because it only made him feel guiltier. "When I saw Snape…it was like I was seeing him in this completely different way. And to be honest, it kind of scared me."

"James, I hate to admit it, but Sirius was partly right--while Snape is undoubtedly evil in many ways, I highly doubt he would go so far as to kill someone," Lily interjected.

"I know he wouldn't now, but what about later? Soon enough, we're not going to be inside these walls, Dumbledore's not going to be there to protect us. We're going to step into a world where people are getting killed every other day," James said. "And you can't tell me that you don't think that Snape is right in with Voldemort."

"I know you hate Snape, James, but that's taking it a little far--"

"No, it's not! Personally, I don't see why Dumbledore doesn't chuck all the Slytherins out of the school," James said. Lily sighed again, this time more in exasperation.

"You know, it's that kind of close-minded thinking that causes problems initially," Lily said. When James tried to respond, she went on, "Listen, let's not fight--we've both had enough of that lately, no doubt. We're getting off the subject."

"Well…alright. Anyway, I was mostly mad because it really freaked me out to see Sirius pushing Snape along like that. Making him more angry, and more liable to come after us later on," James said. There was a sharp intake of breath from Lily. "I know that sounds morbid. But it's the truth. We're not going out into an easy place at the end of the school year, Lily. And having stupid grudges like these are only going to make things worse, especially if we're fighting with people on the dark side."

To his surprise, Lily laughed. For the first time, he looked up at her, and was slightly frustrated that she was laughing at something so serious. When she saw his expression, she stopped. "Oh, sorry," She said, still smiling. "It's just, you sounded like this one movie, _Star Wars_."

James, however, had no idea what _Star Wars_ was and was concentrating on other things. Lily reached across and took his hand in hers.

"I know it's scary," She said, and he was glad that all the mirth was gone from her voice. "But personally, I think that fighting with people you truly care about has much more serious repercussions than fighting with people who would be against you no matter what. You can't change who Snape is, or who he's going to be, but I know that keeping Sirius as a friend is much more important than worrying about things you have no control over."

James looked up at her, amazed at the ability she had to change his whole perspective in a few sentences. He saw her sitting there, smiling, and wondered at her: Lily, so practical, so smart, so optimistic and determined--and so different from him in so many ways. Yet she loved him, despite all their differences, and stood by him in almost everything.

"You're right," He said, squeezing her hand and leaning over to kiss her on her forehead. "Now, I have something I've been meaning to ask you. How would you like to go to the Quidditch World Cup with me this summer?"

Lily beamed, though she looked slightly incredulous. "You're kidding!" She exclaimed. He shook his head.

"Nope, not kidding. Although I will warn you, if you go, you'll probably have to be exposed to my friends for days on end, and, I know from experience--it's not easy to deal with," James said in mock warning. Lily smiled.

"I think I can handle it," She said, nodding. "I'd love to go."

They began walking back to Gryffindor Tower, hand in hand. "What was with the whole…what was it, Starry Wars, or something like that?" James asked her. Lily laughed.

"Well, it's this film about the future…" Lily explained to him, and wasn't surprised that even when she told him what it was about, he still didn't understand.

* * *

Sirius looked down at the Marauder's Map. He looked at the dot labeled "Severus Snape", which was moving in the dark hallway towards him. When he was sure Snape was coming this way, he pulled the small, folded piece of parchment out of his pocket and threw in the middle of the hall, before whisking away back to Gryffindor Tower. 

If he had thought Snape was his enemy before, Sirius knew it was nothing compared to the hate and loathing he felt for him now. Not only had he made Sirius look like a complete fool by cornering him with a group of his friends when Sirius only had Peter, he had been the cause of his only fight with James. He was going to make him pay for this--the only trouble had been figuring out how to do it so it looked like Snape's fault and not Sirius'. Yes, Severus Snape was going to be sorry he ever crossed paths with Sirius Black…

As Snape walked down the hall, keeping an eye out for teachers and prefects, he noticed the piece of parchment in front of him, and stooped to pick it up. He opened it and read the scrawled writing.

I know you're suspicious about Remus Lupin--if you want to figure out if your suspicions are right or not, I suggest you try the Whomping Willow at the next full moon. If you touch the knot on the tree, it gets immobilized. What better way to get back at Potter and his friends?

Snape smiled, satisfied. It seemed he'd be making an outing next full moon.

**Author's Note:** Evil laughter. So begins the story we all know and love…well, sort of, I guess. I'm sure you all have a rough idea of what's going to happen next, so I hope this wasn't too bad of a cliffhanger. Ha, this chapter was interesting: I started it out as a total fluff chapter, what with the whole Quidditch Cup thing, and then saw a perfect opportunity to begin a whole new part of the story!

**So, here are my plans for this story**. I should be leaving on my summer trip between July 15th-21st, which means that I will be AWOL in terms of this story for at least a month. In a perfect world, the next update after I leave would be around beginning of September. But, as we all know very well, I am a horrible procrastinator, and since I'll be adjusting to a new school and city (and country!), it might be longer. Hmmm…maybe I'll post a really short chapter, just so it's not too long. I don't know.

Anyway, I'm going to try and shoot out as many new chapters before I leave as I can. It could conceivably be as many as five or six, or as little as two or three. Maybe more. Who knows?

Of course, it will help me write if you **_review_**! (Especially all you 55 people who have this listed as one of their favorite stories…)


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Author's Note:** Well, well, well…I bet some of you didn't expect to be reading another chapter, did you? To be honest, I had my doubts about whether you'd read it too! I know it's been MONTHS since I updated, which really is shameful. But I did move to another country…and start at a new school…you've got to cut me some slack! Well, actually, _I_ wouldn't cut me some slack, but you're probably much more compassionate than me, so maybe you will. Let me say this—writing this story is TIME-CONSUMING. It takes a long time for a perfectionist like me to feel like I've got a chapter right. Sometimes I'm completely unmotivated to write at all. Sometimes what I do write is complete crap. (And some times is stupid and for some reason won't let me upload my chapters...if they had this one might have been up a couple weeks ago.) My point is this—I'm endlessly sorry this sort of thing takes me so long, but in the end I feel an obligation to keep going with the story because I don't want to disappoint anyone reading this.

In reality, I doubt anyone would be that disappointed. Yet in the madness that's called my brain, there are people checking their inboxes for updates, sighing in a sad way when they find it empty…oh no, my mistake, that's just what my life is like. (Just kidding.)

Anyway, I'd give a million zillion thank-yous to the lovely reviewers for the last chapter, but frankly, it was such a long time ago, it seems kind of pointless. If you reviewed and you are ACTUALLY still reading this story: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! (Imagine me bowing down at your feet like the people in The King and I…or was it Anna and the King? I confuse those movies. Well, hopefully you know what I mean.)

So…shall I give you a short synopsis so you don't have to go back and read the whole story to catch up. I think that'd be helpful, so here goes.

Summary (Chapters One-Twenty): After long-time arch enemies Lily Evans and James Potter had to take on the responsibilities of Head Girl and Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sparks flew—much to James' delight, the sparks were the romantic kind. As the two started dating, chaos raged in the outside world. Attacks on the community by a wizard called Lord Voldemort and his henchmen, the Death Eaters, sent everyone into a panic. Through this, Lily, James, and their friends attempt to prepare for the most difficult year in the education and for life in the real world, as well as fighting their own battles against Severus Snape and other members of the Slytherin house. When a fight between Sirius, James' best friend, and Snape turns ugly, James finds himself pitted against his friend. Sirius retaliates by sending Snape out to the Whomping Willow at full moon, where their friend Remus has transformed into a werewolf.

Chapter Twenty-One

James noticed a strange furtive look about Sirius for the next few days. Though they had made a truce only a day after their blowout, James could tell Sirius was hiding something in an oddly satisfied way. Neither he nor Sirius enjoyed arguments much, and Sirius had brushed the whole incident off in a shockingly nonchalant way. However, with everything that was going on, James didn't have much time to contemplate this or Sirius' clandestine mood.

The seventh years' workload had increased to monolithic proportions, and there was rarely time to do anything but study. Many of them couldn't even escape when they were asleep, since they were plagued with dreams of exams gone horribly wrong and sudden cases of amnesia. The constant reminder that these tests would define the rest of their lives and would make a difference between success and failure out in the "real world" was something none of them easily forgot.

And speaking of success and failure, James received several letters from the International Quidditch Association, each one more impatient than the one before. He still hadn't found time to tell them his decision--or at least that was the excuse he gave. Part of him was extremely tempted by the prospect of being a world famous Quidditch player, but he certainly didn't tell anyone.

All the same, it made him nervous to see Sirius, normally so extroverted and communicative, hide something from his friends. In just the last few months, James had had too many disastrous experiences with hiding things from people, and he wanted to avoid another one of those at any cost. He certainly hoped that Sirius wouldn't keep it a secret for much longer.

A week or two went by before anything of much importance happened.

* * *

The weekend came like a shining beacon of hope at the end of a very long week. Even Lily, who had never had much trouble with school, was becoming exhausted from the perpetual strain. When she woke up on Saturday, it looked like a real summer day--sunlight was streaming through the windows, and the sky was the clearest shade of azure. To her dismay, however, she found Anna reading _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven_. She got up and strode over to where Anna was sitting in her bed and pulled the book away from her, shutting it. 

"I'm sorry, it's the weekend, and I'm afraid I can't permit you to study when you don't even have to," Lily said snappily. Anna raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Is the Head Girl reprimanding someone for studying? That's something I never thought I'd live to see," She said, smirking.

"Yes, I am," Lily said, "because we are going to spend a whole day without picking up a single book or notes or anything. We are not going to study at all today."

"Too late," Anna said, shrugging, and when Lily looked puzzled, she continued. "I already did study."

"Okay, starting now, then," Lily replied. Neither of them spoke for a moment, but only looked straight at each other. They couldn't really keep a straight face, so both of them started laughing, and Lily sat down on Anna's bed.

"I think we're being driven insane by this whole exams business," Anna said thoughtfully. Lily nodded in agreement.

"I got a letter from my parents yesterday," She said, gazing out the window.

"Really? And what was so interesting about this letter?" Anna asked. Lily turned to look at her again.

"What do you mean? Why does there always have to be some hidden meaning behind everything I say? Isn't it possible that I could have just gotten a nice letter from my parents, and I wanted to tell you about it?" Lily said indignantly.

"No, because you wouldn't bother to mention it unless it was important," Anna said simply. "So just save us the time and get to the point."

"Oh, for goodness…oh, all right," Lily said, sighing. "Well, I had written them to ask whether I could go to the Quidditch thing in the summer with James, and they said that they would feel more comfortable letting me go if they were to meet him first." Anna furrowed her brow and took a moment before responding.

"Okay…so let them meet him first," She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Lily shook her head.

"They've got a lot of vacationing going on this summer--first they're off to Scotland for a week, then for the week after that, they're going to be busy with planning and executing my sister's wedding. After her wedding, they're taking off to India for three weeks, and it's in those three weeks that the World Cup is happening," Lily explained quickly.

"So…are you saying they won't let you go, or what? Because if you're not going, I'm definitely not going either," Anna said. She too had been invited to go with everyone to the World Cup over the summer. Lily shook her head again, this time determinedly staring out the window.

"Well, no, not exactly--it's just that they, er, well…they want me to bring him to Petunia's wedding," Lily said in a rushed way, biting her lip when she was done. She looked everywhere in the room but at Anna, and to her surprise, she heard a muffled laugh. At this, she couldn't help but look at Anna, who hurriedly clapped a hand to her mouth, still grinning. "This isn't funny!" Lily exclaimed. "This…this isn't even in the same postal code as funny!" This, however, only gave Anna a harder time keeping a straight face.

"Oh, I know…I mean, it is _sort of_ funny," Anna said, taking her hand away from her mouth, "when you really think about it. James is going to _die_ when he hears he has to go to a wedding with you."

"That's exactly why I'm telling you this! What am I supposed to do?" Lily asked, with tones of desperation in her voice.

"God, he'll have to wear a suit, won't he? Take a picture for me, will you?" Anna added. Lily was becoming more and more irritated.

"Hello! I need your help!" Lily said. Anna eyed her carefully and silently for a moment.

"Well, it's not as if it's going to be the last wedding you'll be attending together," Anna said. Something about the smile on her face made Lily sure that Anna didn't mean in the sense of going as guests.

"Oh, ha ha ha. Very amusing. But I really am going to kill you if you don't help me," Lily said flatly. Anna sighed and sat up straighter.

"Well, if you want _my _opinion…"

* * *

"I swear, that's the third time Snape's walked past us looking all smug," Peter said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was up to something." 

Along with Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus were all sitting under one of the trees by the lake. It was such a glorious day outside, and all of them were feeling restless, so they'd abandoned the Common Room in favor of more sunny settings.

Sirius replied lazily, "Snape's always up to something, Wormtail. I thought you'd have figured that out by now. Thank God we'll all be rid of him soon."

James privately agreed--one thing he was more than glad about was that when school ended, he'd never have to say another word to Snape if he didn't want to. No one said anything in reply, although Remus' glance did flit in Sirius' direction for a moment, and he frowned as it did so. James was about to ask Remus what was on his mind when he caught sight of both Anna and Lily walking towards the four of them.

"We were wondering where you all had gotten to," Lily said as she and Anna plopped down on the grass beside them. "Mind if we join you?"

"So, what kind of havoc are you planning on creating in the castle after exams? I suppose you'll be wanting to give everyone a wonderful farewell present," Anna said. The four boys exchanged looks.

They had, in fact, talked about starting some plans for their exit out of Hogwarts. They had all agreed it would be rather anticlimactic if they were to cause absolutely no mayhem when they were about to leave, but still, no finite plans had been put together. With everything that had been going on around them, it had been hard to find free time.

"Well, it's a surprise, so we can't tell you, can we?" Sirius replied vaguely. This was a typical Sirius response, so neither of the girls even thought that he was lying at all. For several more minutes, all six of them just sat there discussing regular topics, mostly centered around their coming exams. It was only when Remus realized that it was nearing lunchtime that they lazily left their sitting place and headed up to the castle.

Compared to the outdoors, the inside of the castle felt cramped, dull, and dark. Hogwarts, which normally seemed inviting, had lately carried with it so many pressures and frustrations that it was a great relief to break free of its stone walls. As he sat down to lunch, James noted that even the enchanted ceiling (which at that moment was a clear, shining blue) couldn't help to lift the mood.

He remarked upon this to the rest of the group, who all agreed.

"Maybe we're all sick of this place," Anna offered. "I mean, we have spent a good part of seven years here."

"Or maybe we're just sick of studying," Lily added. There was a pause as they all considered these things.

"Nah, we're all just raving mad," Remus said, and everyone laughed.

* * *

It wasn't until after dinner that Lily decided she would tell James about the wedding situation. She knew that she could technically put it off for weeks because she was slightly wary of his reaction, but she decided it would be better to do it sooner rather than later. 

She had tried to think the whole situation through completely. Was inviting him to a wedding too serious? They'd been dating since the end of October…so that made…nearly six months now. She wished that there were some sort of guidelines to what was an okay outing and what wasn't when you'd been dating for almost six months, but there was no such luck. She couldn't be sure whether she was stepping into dangerous territory or not, but she was going to find out one way or another.

The more sentimental part of Lily's personality dwelled on grandiose, romantic ideas about going to a wedding with James. He would meet her family, and they (Petunia and Vernon excluded) would love him. They would dance all night and laugh, and even though neither of them would say anything, both would be imagining what it would be like if _they _got married. She would catch Petunia's bouquet, and she'd blush when people would tell her that she'd be next, and ask her who the lucky man would be.

It took herculean effort for her to be realistic about the situation. It was particularly these sorts of things, she told herself, that would send James as far away from her as possible. She even went as far as to practically memorize a perfect, nonchalant way of introducing the idea.

Typically, when the time came to say it, her planning went to hell. "So, how do you feel about weddings?" She asked.

James' eyebrows shot up about three feet. It would have been extremely funny if Lily hadn't been feeling like such an idiot. "Ex-excuse me?" He stammered, looking bewildered.

"I mean, my sister's wedding. Petunia, you know, my sister. Her wedding is this summer did you know? I was pretty sure I told you but then again I try to basically ignore all contact with my sister so perhaps it slipped my mind what with everything going on. I didn't mean a wedding between us, that would be silly don't you think? I mean we've only been going out for about six months and it's ridiculous to even entertain the idea but I suppose marriages have been founded on less than six month relationships so in some peoples' cases maybe it seems completely logical. But not for us, or me at least because like I said it's silly and ridiculous to even entertain that idea," Lily said quickly. She could have died, since she was fully aware she'd turned into a babbling idiot. No doubt she was blushing redder than a tomato.

"Uh…oh yeah. So the wedding's finally happening, is it?" James replied. He, at least, seemed to be able to keep control of his mouth.

Lily paused, trying to prevent any further babbling, then said, "This summer. July 20th. God, it's going to be awful." _Good_, Lily thought to herself. _That was at least close to normal_. "I won't know anyone there," Lily added. She hoped that maybe she could just hint and he'd offer to accompany her, but he seemed clueless of her intentions.

"Yeah, well, hopefully it'll provide you with some funny memories. Especially judging from that invitation they sent you a while ago," He said. Lily could tell he was going to lose interest in the topic any second. And he did. "So did you ask your parents about the whole World Cup thing?" He inquired.

"Er…well, yes, actually, about that--"

"Don't tell me you can't go!" James interrupted.

"Well, not exactly. It's just my parents would feel more…comfortable if they met you before I went," She said, reddening again. He looked at her quizzically. "And…they want you to come to my sister's wedding."

James paused, seeming to take this in. "Is this why you asked me about weddings?" He asked, and she nodded. He hesitated, thinking, then shrugged and said casually, "Sure, why not? It'll be interesting."

Lily was taken aback by how throwaway his attitude was towards the whole situation. She had spent hours agonizing over his reaction to the whole situation. Weren't boyfriends supposed to be afraid of weddings, or something along those lines?

"Is that it, then? Just, 'Sure, why not?'" Lily asked, with a slight tone of indignation in her voice. James looked up at her again, now looking more lost.

"Yes…were you expecting something else?" He asked quizically. Lily shrugged.

"Well, it's just…I expected you to react differently!" She replied.

"Did you want me to say no, instead?" James shot back. Lily considered this for a moment, then shrugged again.

"I suppose not. Just forget it," She said, certainly not wanting to even introduce the idea that he should be afraid of a wedding. Standing up, she quickly kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I'm glad you're coming with me." After that, they said good night to each other, and Lily retired to her dormitory, leaving James in the common room.

* * *

James was the last person awake in the common room that night. He felt odd about the idea of going to a wedding with his girlfriend, although he was sure he had suffered through worse things. He sat for a very long time, deep in thought, and was only taken from his thoughts when Sirius came crashing through the Portrait Hole, breathless. 

"Where were you?" James asked. He had assumed Sirius had been up in their dormitory the whole time. Sirius shrugged, although James noticed a momentary gleam in his eyes; it was the same gleam that he had worn since they'd fought, but magnified.

"Just having a stroll," Sirius said airily, smirking. "I think I'm going to go to bed. Bit tired." He gave a dramatic yawn, and headed towards the boys' dormitories.

James listened to him walk up the stairs and shut the door to the dormitory. He stood in the common room for only a few moments longer before racing up the spiral staircase himself and bursting into the dormitory. Sirius was beside the window, looking out at the grounds expectantly.

"What's wrong with you?" James asked. Something about Sirius's demeanor was making him very uneasy indeed. Sirius looked over at him, still smirking.

"Wrong? Nothing wrong with me…nope, I'm just fantastic. Better than ever," Sirius said slowly, then turned back to look down at the grounds again.

"You're acting funny. What the hell's happened to you?" James asked. He was genuinely worried about Sirius. What was making him act like a complete madman?

"I think you're going to like this, Prongs," Sirius said, an even wider grin spreading over his face. "Come have a look."

James moved towards the window, not knowing what to expect, keeping his hand close to his wand--Sirius was acting very oddly, and there was no telling what he might do next.

"You're acting like a maniac, Padfoot, and I don't--" James began, but next moment, all thought of Sirius' madness flew from his mind. There, on the grounds below, black robes billowing, was Snape. His wand was lit, illuminating his pallid face and black, greasy hair even from far away. James watched as Snape stood still, looking off into the distance, and then swept off…it took a moment for James to register that he was heading for the Whomping Willow.

"All right, so Snape's stalking around the grounds, but who--" James started, but found himself stopping again, because he had, out of the corner of his eye, noticed the full moon casting a silvery glow into the dark night. And suddenly, everything had clicked into place.

The reason Sirius had been acting so secretive, yet satisfied. Why he had been so blasé about the whole argument that had taken place. Why Remus had looked at Sirius so perplexedly down by the lake when Sirius had said _Thank God we'll all be rid of him soon_. And, most importantly, why Snape was setting off in the direction of the Whomping Willow…

James felt very sick all of a sudden. He would never have believed this of Sirius…but even as he turned his gaze back upon his best friend, that same wild grin still upon his face, he knew that he'd done it.

"Sirius…please, tell me you haven't…" James said hoarsely, still hoping there was a wild chance his best friend was completely innocent, that he was merely interested in why Snape was walking around the grounds at night.

"Yep, Prongs…no more Snivellus to deal with…hope Moony gets him really good, too," Sirius said, but James had already strode back to the dormitory door without another word to Sirius.

A thousand thoughts raced through his head unprocessed as he moved through the common room, out the portrait hole, down towards the Entrance Hall. He had neither his Invisibility Cloak nor the Marauder's Map, but there was no time for that. Snape might already be at the Whomping Willow…did he know how to immobilize the tree already, or would he walk along its edges, wondering how to get in, in the process buying James some time?

When James reached the front doors, it was to find them locked. "Damn…" He muttered, pulling out his wand. After trying a few ways to unlock them magically, they still remained adamantly locked tight. How had Snape gotten out? Could he walk through walls? Even worse, he could now hear footsteps and see dim light coming from the dungeon passage leading to the Potions class. As it grew closer and closer, and James became more and more desperate, he was forced to duck behind a suit of armor near the stairs. A moment later, Filch emerged into the Entrance Hall, muttering to Mrs. Norris, who was slinking around his ankles. Much to James' relief, he went towards the great oak doors and began unlocking them with a heavy brass key, distinctly saying, "Now, my sweet, we will see who's out sneaking round the grounds, won't we?"

After he had disappeared, he did not lock the doors again, and James was able to go back and slowly open them, making sure Filch wasn't nearby to catch him. When he saw the coast was clear, he sprinted towards in the direction of the Whomping Willow. As it came into view, James squinted into the distance at it. Was that a dark figure prowling around underneath it? Could Snape possibly still be outside of the tree? Closer and closer he got, running out of breath the whole time, and he soon got close enough to see that Snape hadn't gone into the passageway under the tree, that he was still alive, not quite in mortal danger yet…

James reached Snape and the Whomping Willow, breathing heavily. Snape turned to him, his wand out, looking slightly alarmed.

"Well, Potter, come to see how your best friend is doing?" Snape said icily, as James massaged a stitch in his side, still trying to catch his breath.

"Snape…you're making…big mistake," James managed to say, and Snape let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh, I know perfectly well what I'm doing. Poor Lupin…I suppose he'll be expelled for this," Snape jeered loudly.

"Dumbledore knows…don't be an idiot…" James said, although he was drawing breath with more ease than before.

"Dumbledore knows? He knows? He knows that your werewolf friend comes out here every full moon? Tell me, does he even know Lupin is a werewolf, or has he kept that cleverly hidden?" Snape asked harshly.

"Snape, I'm not kidding," James said quickly. "You're making a huge mistake. Dumbledore knows all about this, you won't be proving or revealing anything to him. You're risking your life for nothing."

"Yeah, I'm going to listen to you, Potter," Snape said, sneering, "because you've got my best interests at heart."

And James watched in horror as Snape picked up a long branch and pushed the knot on the tree that froze it and walked to the entry into the passageway. He paused, peering into the hole under the roots. James couldn't tell whether he was imagining those growling sounds or not.

"Snape, I'm not kidding, don't be an idiot!" James said frantically, and Snape rounded on him, wand held aloft.

"Not a wise choice of words, Potter," Snape said sharply, and without any warning, he slashed his wand through the air towards James.

James only just managed to step out of the way of Snape's hex, and now had his own wand drawn, but for the first time, he wasn't at all interested in fighting--if he were knocked out or otherwise injured, Snape was sure to be killed.

"Snape, listen to me, you have to come back to the castle, Filch is out looking for someone," James said, trying to speak reasonably, but Snape was apparently not listening. He was still looking intently into the passageway. "All right, Snape, I'm going after one of the teachers--if you want to risk your life _and _expulsion, far be it from me to-"

But he stopped dead. Snape had jumped back from the opening in the roots, a look of bewilderment twisting his features. James hoped upon hope that Snape hadn't seen Remus, that it was just something else, a noise, or some shadow he had thought was something else…but as he watched, the long limbs and angry face of a werewolf emerged from the passageway, growling and looking murderously at Snape.

James stood frozen for several moments, shocked. He had spent many evenings alongside Remus when he had been transformed, but it was completely different when James himself was in human form. He had never noticed how menacing a werewolf looked, and was completely wrong-footed for a few seconds. A half-formed, foolish plan worked its way into his head, and although he wasn't sure it was going to work, he had no other options…

He quickly pulled out his wand and stunned Snape. Though he did realize that Snape did not exactly have a fighting chance while he was unconscious, he figured _his_ chances were better without Snape being a complete idiot the whole time. Then, pointing his wand at himself, he concentrated very firmly and transformed. He felt an uncomfortable stretching sensation, and suddenly he was not a human, but a stag.

Remus, who had been slowly advancing on Snape, seemed to notice the fact that there was something much larger than a regular person next to him, now turned, fixing his gleaming eyes upon James. Almost immediately, as he had done many times before, the werewolf suddenly became tamer, more docile, as if he truly knew that this animal beside him was a friend. He stopped growling, his teeth were no longer bared, and he walked slowly towards the stag.

James waited just long enough to lull Remus into a false sense of security before swinging his head right at his friend. He felt his antlers hit the side of the werewolf, and Remus went flying several feet back, crashing to the ground in a heap. Though James felt bad, he knew that this was not the end of the fight. Remus' werewolf brain seemed to realize that this was no friend to him, and he pulled himself up from the ground, now looking as murderous as ever.

James struggled through the fight; he was not sure whether he could beat a full-fledged werewolf, but all he knew was that if he lost, Remus would move on to Snape, and Sirius would be expelled…if not worse. He was hit by several blows from Remus, feeling fainter and fainter each time he was hit, and then he saw something out of the corner of his eye: a light, probably from a wand, moving across the grounds towards them.

His desperation now grew greater; if there were more people coming, it would certainly cause him more of a problem. First of all, it would be just one more person in danger of Remus, and secondly, he didn't feel like having anyone find out that he was an illegal Animagus. Now feeling very hurried and not knowing how to end this quickly, James charged at Remus, trying to herd him in the direction of the Whomping Willow.

Most unfortunately, the knot in the tree had stopped working its magic: the Whomping Willow was no longer immobilised, and as James moved towards it, he was walloped in the side by one of the larger branches. As he looked up, he saw that the same branch had also hit Remus, and he could just make out the figure of a werewolf dragging itself into the hole between the roots, out of sight. The light was growing closer and closer, and he concentrated very hard, hoping he could just transform back…

* * *

Lily woke in the middle of the night. She lay in bed looking out at the inky blue night sky, wondering why she had awoken so suddenly. A few moments passed, and she thought she could hear movement on the spiral staircase, and people whispering. Silently cursing her responsibility as Head Girl, she groggily pulled herself out of bed and quietly walked across the dormitory and opened the door. 

She was sure now that she could hear people whispering in the common room, but was extremely surprised to see that it was not, as she had suspected, younger students sneaking out of bed, but Professor McGonagall accompanied by Sirius Black.

She was not sure whether she would be allowed to intrude on this late-night meeting; after all, it must be very important to be drawing Sirius out of bed so late. However, she was curious as to what was going on, and also she was slightly suspicious that this may have something to do with James.

As she made her way down the stairs at stepped tentatively into the common room, Professor McGonagall and Sirius continued to whisper in urgent voices. They seemed not to notice Lily at all.

"Er…excuse me, Professor?" Lily said quietly. Professor McGonagall looked around sharply, but Sirius, white-faced, did nothing but stare determinedly at the floor. "Is anything wrong?"

McGonagall considered her for a moment, then sighed. "Miss Evans, I believe you should accompany Mr. Black and I," She said, and motioned for them to follow her out of the common room.

As they walked through the darkened and deserted corridors, Lily kept trying to catch Sirius' eye, hoping to ask him what was going on, but he kept his eyes pointed fixedly in front of him. She was feeling rather worried now, especially since Sirius looked more and more pale-faced and clench-jawed the further they walked.

Lily hadn't been paying attention to where they were going, but as she gave up trying to get Sirius to talk, she noticed they were taking the route towards the Hospital Wing. Why was Professor McGonagall taking her and Sirius to the hospital wing so late at night? Who was hurt? As they reached the door to their destination, Lily was feeling very alarmed and rather sickly.

"Right, then," Professor McGonagall said, turning around in front of the hospital wing door. Both Lily and Sirius stopped, facing her. "I'll just let you know…the reason we're here is because of Mr. Potter."

"What's happened to him?" Lily said quickly, displaying more worry in her voice than she had meant to.

"Nothing serious. He will be fine soon enough," Professor McGonagall continued. "However, I do not know how he sustained his injuries. I came to Mr. Black here, who I believed knew something about the incident, but I am still unclear as to what has happened tonight."

Sirius, whose gaze was now on the floor again, said nothing. After a few moments' silence, Professor McGonagall turned and swept into the hospital wing. Both Lily and Sirius followed her. The lamps cast a dim glow around the room, which was relatively empty.

James lay asleep in one of the hospital beds, several cuts and scrapes on his face, but looking otherwise perfectly healthy. In spite of herself, Lily felt immensely relieved that it was nothing worse. Sirius, on the other hand, seemed to be more pallid and horrified than he had been before, and stayed a fair distance away from where James lay.

Professor McGonagall had immediately lit the lamp closest to James' bed with her wand, and then turned her wand upon James himself, who awoke a moment later. He looked rather startled to see Professor McGonagall, Lily, and Sirius standing around him, and sat up straighter.

"Good evening Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said briskly. "You appear to have had quite an adventurous night."

"Oh…er…yeah," James said vaguely, rubbing just above his left eyebrow.

"You are, no doubt, wondering why I am here? And also, why Mr. Black and Ms. Evans are with me?" McGonagall said. When James nodded, she went on. "I believed Mr. Black might have known something about what happened tonight. After all, it would not have been the first time that the two of you were involved in some reckless…well, anyway, suffice it to say I tried to ask him what had happened. He seemed to not to wish to speak about it. I was hoping you could."

Lily could see comprehension dawning on James' face, and also saw him hesitate for just a moment before beginning his story rather reluctantly.

"Well, I saw Snape out on the grounds really late at night. I thought it was kind of funny, but then I noticed that he was…well, he was heading towards the Whomping Willow, and I also noticed it was a full moon, so I thought I'd follow him. He might not know what he was heading into, right? So I followed him and told him to get lost, but he wouldn't listen, and then…well…you know," James finished lamely. Professor McGonagall looked as though she was getting slightly irritated.

"Mr. Potter, if I knew, I certainly wouldn't have troubled the three of you," She said sharply. Everyone was silent for a moment before Professor McGonagall started up again. "I am going to ask you clearly in the hopes that you will answer me properly: did you send Severus Snape out to the Whomping Willow tonight?"

"I…well, er…" James stammered, apparently trying to decide what to say. To everyone's surprise, however, it was Sirius who answered McGonagall.

"It wasn't him," He said quietly. Professor McGonagall turned towards Sirius. She studied him for several long moments.

"I see, Mr. Black," She said gravely. The four of them stood in silence until McGonagall spoke again. "Well, I think I understand what happened here. I think I've troubled all of you enough for tonight. Everyone get back to bed, and I will speak to you tomorrow, Mr. Black."

No one spoke as she swept out of the Hospital Wing. Lily looked at James, who looked at Sirius, who once again looked at the ground. A few moments after Professor McGonagall had closed the door behind her, Sirius looked up. He opened his mouth to speak, seemed to think better of it, sighed heavily, and walked out of the room, leaving Lily and James staring after him.

"Okay, what happened?" Lily asked quickly, walking over and sitting on the edge of James' bed. "I mean what _really _happened. I'm so confused."

"Well…" James began, "it's kind of…personal."

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm your loving, supporting girlfriend that you can share anything with, isn't it?" Lily said brightly. She knew whatever had transpired must have been serious, and she wasn't leaving until she got a good enough explanation from James. Silence fell in the room while James apparently tried to find where to begin.

"It's a really long story. I guess…it starts back in second year," James said heavily. "We found out that Remus was a werewolf, and he told us about how Dumbledore had him taken to the Shrieking Shack every full moon so he didn't hurt anyone—"

"How did he get in there? I thought there wasn't any way in?" Lily interrupted.

"Well, there is. Remember when we were in Hogsmeade a while back, and I said that there was a way in?" James replied, and Lily remembered when he had told her. _It's my little secret_, he'd said. "There's an opening in the roots of the Whomping Willow that leads to a passageway into the Shrieking Shack. Everyone thinks it's haunted in there, but it's really Remus in his werewolf form."

Lily felt horrible hearing this—she had never heard the shrieks and moans that supposedly came from the Shrieking Shack every so often, but to think that it was one of her good friends making those noises, one of her friends in some sort of pain…

"So Sirius, Peter and I decided we were going to do something to make it better for him. We weren't sure what to do at first, but after a while we decided the most useful thing would be for us to become Animagus," James said, looking at Lily with a slightly apprehensive expression on his face.

Lily was completely at a loss for what to say; at first she wasn't even sure that she had heard him right. She knew James well enough to know that he had some exceptional abilities, especially in Transfiguration, but becoming an Animagus would have been extremely difficult nonetheless. When she didn't reply, James forged ahead with his story.

"It took us ages to get it right. It was only when we were in fifth year that we were confident enough to try it for the first time," James said. "We waited until full moon, went down to the Whomping Willow, and transformed. Remus had told us there was a knot on the tree that would immobilize it. Peter was the smallest—he transformed into a rat, so he was able to get past the branches without getting hurt. Since that night, we've been going out there almost every full moon to run around the grounds."

"But that's really dangerous! Didn't Remus ever try and…I dunno…bite you?" Lily said. It felt very odd to be talking about Remus biting someone. "And what if he'd slipped away one night? He could have run off and bit someone in Hogsmeade or something and then he would have felt horrible afterwards!"

"Well, Sirius and I were big enough that we thought we could keep a werewolf from getting out of hand," James said, shrugging. Lily was privately feeling that James had been awfully careless this whole time, but another thought had occurred to her.

"So you're registered with the Ministry and everything? They know the three of you are able to do this?" Lily asked, though she had a sneaking suspicion that the answer would be no.

"It's complicated…we would have registered, but I don't think Dumbledore…well, anyway, it hasn't caused anyone any harm, has it?" James said feebly.

"So what happened tonight, then?" Lily asked, ignoring the fact that James had evaded her last question.

"Ah, Lily, I'm really tired, can't we talk about this in the morning or something?" James replied.

"No, we can't. I want to know what happened."

"Come on, I—"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me!"

"All right, fine…it's just…don't overreact, okay?" James began. Lily was beginning to get a little exasperated with James's constant stalling, and perhaps he realized it, because he continued on with little hesitation. When he was finished, Lily felt absolutely horrified. A thousand thoughts were running through her head, most of them relating to what Sirius had done.

"He…oh James…Sirius could have gotten Snape killed!" Lily said hoarsely. James shrugged in what Lily supposed was meant to be a nonchalant way, but she could tell by the look on his face that he was just as troubled by his best friend's behaviour as she was. "This whole thing is…it's awful. And completely unbelievable! I just can't understand _how_ the three of you did it, most full-grown wizards wouldn't be able to become an Animagus, not even after years of work!"

"Well," James said, looking rather pleased at Lily's words, "it just takes a lot of hard work, doesn't it? We worked hard, and it paid off."

"Yes, I suppose…" Lily said distractedly. "But James, I really think you should tell Dumbledore."

"No!" James replied vehemently, sitting up. "He'd kill us all!"

"I really doubt that," Lily said. "And anyway, don't you think that he'd want to know? It would make things a whole lot easier to explain if something like this ever happened again."

"No, I don't think he'd want to know, you know why?" James said. "Because he'll go absolutely nuts! No doubt he'll give us detention every day for the rest of the year, and he'll tell all those idiots at the Ministry and we'll have to go get registered and everything!"

"So it's only worth doing if it's illegal, then?" Lily asked. James fell silent and slumped back against his pillows. "For heaven's sake, James, is it really worth doing at all when the consequences could be so serious?"

After a very long pause, James spoke. "Yeah, it is."

Lily felt a ripple of frustration. She had, of course, known for a very long time that James was very impulsive and reckless—but she never would have expected him to so carelessly endanger other people.

"Would you mind telling me exactly how it's worth it?" Lily replied through gritted teeth. She was really trying her best not to overreact, since she knew James expected her to. She saw him take a deep breath before he started.

"I can't say I know what it's like to be in Remus's situation. I can't imagine how…how hard it must be to have to live with being a werewolf, or how hard it must be to worry about people treating you differently when they find out. People just don't get it, they think that being a werewolf makes you vicious and cruel. And Remus…he's going to live with prejudice put against him his whole life. He trusts us to be his best friends, to make things better whenever we can. I know it sounds crazy, but it matters more to me that my best friend is happy than some stranger's well-being. It matters to me even more than my own well-being," James said. He continued in a stronger voice, "I don't care if I get expelled, if I get chucked into prison, if me or someone else gets hurt—because it's worth it."

Lily was stunned into silence. She had never heard James say something so honest and absolutely touching as this. She did have to admit now that the reasons he thought this was so important were certainly valid.

"Well…um…that's really…um…" Lily stammered, searching for words that could fill the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them. "It's just…you may not care if you get expelled or hurt or put in jail, but there are people who do—like me—and I just want you to make sure you're careful, and…er…" She trailed off, fully aware that she was probably doing a fantastic impression of his mother.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," James said casually. Lily could tell that he was trying to regain his former, much more macho self; she suspected that he rarely would have confided so candidly in anyone. "But really—when you're as supremely magically talented and able-bodied as I am…do you really need to worry about being careful?"

"Well, apparently you don't have to worry about humility," Lily said, but she smiled all the same.

* * *

"…you'd think you'd have learned by now not to stick your face so close to the cards when you're playing Exploding Snap!" 

Lily, Remus, Peter, and Anna were all standing around the foot of James's bed in the hospital wing. Lily was remonstrating Peter, who had burned off nearly all of his eyebrows and put a large scorch mark on the blanket while playing Exploding Snap against James.

"Come here, I'll have to fix it…" Lily said, sighing and drawing out her wand. As she charmed Peter's eyebrows back to normal color and length, James cleared his throat.

"So…er…have any of you seen Sirius lately?" He asked, trying to sound as though it didn't really matter to him. He hadn't seen Sirius in three days—he had come to visit James the day after the whole ordeal, but they hadn't talked much.

"OUCH!" Peter yelped. Lily had, in her distraction at James's question, apparently poked him in the eye with the end of her wand.

"Oh, sorry, Peter!" Lily said, moving her wand away from his face and turning back to James. "Sirius…erm…well, he's been doing detention with McGonagall every day since it happened."

"He doesn't come back from dinner for about an hour," Anna said quietly. "He just sort of…strolls into the Common Room and walks straight into the dormitory. Doesn't even look at anyone if he can help it. And when anyone talks to him, he just sort of…_glares_ at them really menacingly without even breaking his stride."

"But I'm sure he'll be just fine once he talks to you," Lily said reassuringly, looking pointedly at Anna, who mouthed, _What,_ defensively. Remus looked tense; he had started slightly when Sirius had been mentioned. Peter, too, looked wary, but more likely about the distance between Lily's wand and his left eye.

"Yeah," James replied, now wishing he had never brought the subject up, "I tell you, I can't wait to get out of here, this sitting around all day thing is driving me mad—"

But he stopped abruptly when he noticed that someone else had joined them in the hospital wing, someone who he hadn't seen for a few days. Someone they'd just been talking about. No one spoke, fully aware of the tension that had just been brought into the room with Sirius's entry.

"Well, it's a good thing you're leaving this afternoon," Lily said to James, putting her wand away. "And speaking of leaving, Anna and I will see you three later."

"We will?" Anna asked, bewildered. Lily grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. "Oh, oh, I mean—yes, we _will_ see you later. We can't hang around here all day, you know, we've got important things to do, places to be…"

Her voice trailed away as they left the room, leaving James and his two friends in complete silence but for the sounds of people laughing and yelling on the grounds below coming through the open window. Sirius, James noticed, wore a look on his face that he didn't think he'd ever seen before—he was clearly ashamed of himself.

"You're getting out of here, then?" Sirius said grudgingly, after what seemed like a century of stony, uncomfortable silence. James nodded. He looked at Remus, whose face revealed none of his emotions, and Peter, who looked as if he would like very much to run out of the room.

James knew Sirius wanted to go back to how things used to be: the four of them, friends through thick and thin, having fun together. But James wasn't so sure he felt the same way. Sirius hadn't shown any remorse for what he'd done as of yet; he hadn't even come to visit James in the hospital wing or communicated with him in any way. James felt that, since Sirius was the one who had gotten them all into this mess in the first place, he ought to put a little more effort into patching things up. He had never seen Sirius apologize for anything in his entire life, and he was actually enjoying forcing him to do so—after all, he'd almost killed someone. How difficult could it be to admit that he had been wrong?

"Well…er…I'm glad you're okay," Sirius said slowly. "I guess I should go now."

As he turned to leave, James thought he should be mad. No apology? Not even a hint of one? But Sirius was his best friend…shouldn't he be able find it in his heart to forgive him? After all, Sirius probably hadn't been thrilled at the idea of coming up into a room where he probably thought everyone hated him, but he'd done it all the same. He'd taken responsibility for what he'd done in the end, and James knew better than anyone how difficult it could be sometimes to shelve your pride and admit you'd done something stupid.

"You can't leave yet," James said. Sirius turned around, looking like he was bracing himself for the worst. "I'm currently the undefeated champion at Exploding Snap—are you going to let my reign go unchallenged?"

Sirius stood, dumbfounded by this turn of events, before breaking out into a wide grin.

"Prepare to be dethroned, oh pathetic one."

**Author's Note**: Phew! So, there it is. Finally. There are a few things in here that I can't really figure out how to write the right way right now, but on the whole I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. Of course, I'm not exactly pleased with how long it took, but hey, you can't have everything, right? My real question is…do I have ANY readers left? Or are you all offended by my not-exactly-timely updating skills? Should I even bother continuing? (Please say: YES! YES! YES, preferably in a lovely REVIEW.) I will put a little fine-print here, though—I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. If you want another one, even if it might take a while, then REVIEW. If you couldn't care less, then…well…that's sad.

And oh yes, did I mention that you should review?


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